Carlos Knox 2023-24 Women's Basketball Staff

Carlos Knox joined the Irish as the new player development program director on June 12, 2023.

“I’m super excited to add Carlos Knox to our coaching staff,” Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said upon his hiring. “He has been instrumental in the development of some of the best players in both the WNBA and NBA, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team.  My vision for our program is to continue developing NEXT LEVEL pros, and I believe Carlos will help continue and elevate that mission!”

Knox’s first season in South Bend was immensely successful. The Irish won an ACC Tournament championship after going 28-7 in the regular season and made the Sweet 16 for the third time in three years.

Additionally, Knox served as the primary position coach for power forward Maddy Westbeld, who was one of four players in the ACC to average at least 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. The latter number was a career-high for Westbeld. She was also named to the All-ACC Second Team and the All-ACC Tournament First Team. Westbeld also credits Knox for a new outlook on basketball as a whole, providing her the opportunities to improve on and off the court and allowing her to flourish into even more of a leader for the Irish.

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Prior to Notre Dame, Knox spent nearly a decade working with the Indiana Fever as an interim head coach, assistant coach and player development coach. During his tenure in Indianapolis, Knox helped lead the team to eight consecutive WNBA playoff appearances and was a 2012 WNBA champion. He wore many hats for the program throughout his time, helping with everything from scouting to rehabilitation training to practice preparation. He has worked with many notable players, including former Irish guard and Olympic medalist Skylar Diggins-Smith, four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings and five-time WNBA All-Star Katie Douglas.

Knox has also had stints as an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati (2020-21),  University of North Texas (2017-20) and San Diego State University (2010-11). Finally, Knox spent time from 2015-16 as the director of training at the Jonathan Byrd Grand Park Fieldhouse, Indiana’s state-of-the-art basketball facility. 

The former point guard had a lengthy and decorated career as a collegiate player after attending high school outside of Dayton, Ohio. While earning a degree in communications from IUPUI from 1994-98, he was a two-time NCAA scoring champion, NCAA All-American and NCAA Player of the Year. His jersey has been retired at IUPUI, and the team became a Division I program just after his graduation due in part to Knox’s contributions. He was inducted into the IUPUI Hall of Fame in 2004. 

Knox went on to play for the Indiana Pacers from 1998-99 and played overseas in Croatia, Germany, Venezuela and Italy. He has also served as a head coach in the International Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association and American Basketball Association.

The newest member of the Notre Dame staff comes to South Bend from Dallas.