Christy Thomaskutty was appointed head women's basketball coach
for Emory University prior to the 2003-04 season. Thomaskutty spent
the previous six seasons as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division
I level, five at Illinois State University and one at Saint Louis
University.
For the bulk of the 2010-11 campaign, Thomaskutty started a lineup
that featured two freshmen, two sophomores, one of whom was a
first-year member of the program, and one senior. Despite the
overall youth of the team, the Eagles enjoyed a number of
highlights that included ranking No. 2 in the UAA and 26th
nationally in scoring (73.0 ppg). Thomaskutty instituted a
high-pressure defense that resulted in the squad pacing the UAA and
standing 45th on the national scene in steals per game (12.2 spg),
with the team's 305 total thefts establishing a school seasonal
mark. Emory also ranked among the nation's top 20 Division
III programs in turnover margin (+6.28). Finally, the team
established a school game record for most points when it rang up a
129-82 triumph over Sewanee at the Woodruff PE Center.
For Thomaskutty, the 2009-10 season represented a rebuilding
project as it entered the season having to replace four
starters from the previous campaign along with a senior class that
combined to play close to 400 games during their careers. Though
the team finished under .500, a foundation was prepared for future
success with a number of young players earning court time and
enjoying some bright moments. Statistically speaking, Emory
finished with 82 blocked shots, good for the No. 2 spot on the
school’s seasonal chart while its 3.3 blocks per contest was
also good for the No. 2 position. The Eagles ranked No. 2
among UAA teams in steals in both overall (9.9 spg) and conference
outings (10.2 spg). Emory finished the year with 14 games of
10 or more steals.
The 2008-09 Emory contingent battled to an overall record
of 13-12 which represented the program's second consecutive winning
season, the first time that had been accomplished by the Eagles
since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. Emory played a total of 11
games against seven teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament,
four UAA foes and three con-conference opponents (Maryville,
Oglethorpe and Baruch). Thomaskutty directed her squad to a pair
wins against nationally ranked squads, a 69-56 decision over No. 12
Brandeis (Jan. 25) and an 85-84 triumph over No. 2 Oglethorpe (Dec.
2) that represented the highest-ranked opponent taken down by a
Thomaskutty-coached team. Along the way, Thomaskutty saw the team
earn its first-ever national ranking in the D3hoops.com Poll (poll
originated in 1999-2000) when it was ranked as high as 23rd in the
nation. Statistically, Emory averaged 70.2 points per game (the
program's highest effort during her tenure), good for the No. 2
spot in the University Athletic Association and 61st nationally.
The Eagles ranked third in the league with a 41.9 percent field
goal percentage mark (65th nationally) and with a 5.6 per-game
effort in three-point field goals. In addition, the team paced the
conference in steals with a 10.3 per-game mark while the total of
257 thefts was fourth highest in school history.
Thomaskutty saw her 2007-08 unit play a formidable schedule,
hitting the court 11 times against six teams that advanced to the
NCAA Tournament. The Eagles posted an overall record of 14-11, a
four-game improvement from the previous season. In University
Athletic Assocation action, Emory bounced back from a 0-4 start to
register a 7-7 ledger, the program's most victories in league play
since the 1999-2000 campaign. The team was ranked 49th nationally
in the Massey Ratings while D3hoops.com had Emory's slate of games
ranked as the fourth most difficult among Division III squads. The
Eagles claimed three victories over opponents who were ranked among
the nation's top 25 at the the time of the meetings -- at No. 17
Rochester (59-56) and at home against No. 21 New York University
(80-68) and No. 23 Washington University (68-66). Emory led all UAA
teams in scoring in overall play (68.0 ppg) and shattered the
school seasonal record with 151 three-point field goals. The Eagles
used the three-ball effectively, establishing a school record with
a UAA-leading 38.0 percent effort from beyond the arc, good for the
No. 7 position nationally.
During the 2006-07 campaign, Thomaskutty, despite playing with one
of the youngest teams in school history, directed her charges to a
win at No. 16-ranked Chicago while coming up short against three
top-10 ranked UAA foes by seven or fewer points.
In 2005-06, Thomaskutty led Emory to an overall record of 15-10,
the best showing by an Eagles' unit since 1998-99. Among her team's
win total were three victories over nationally ranked foes. Another
highlight while at Emory includes a 61-59 victory on Jan. 23, 2005,
over Brandeis University (Mass.), then ranked third in the nation
by D3hoops.com.
Thomaskutty played college basketball at Tulane University where her teams competed in two NCAA tournaments, the first in school history, and made one appearance in the women's NIT (National Invitational Tournament). At the time of her graduation, she ranked fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history for career three-point field goals.
Thomaskutty was later honored by Tulane as a member of its Silver Anniversary Team, celebrating the basketball program's 25th anniversary and its greatest players. Her senior year at Tulane, she was the female winner of its "T Club Athlete of the Year" her senior year. The same year, she received honorable mention for the All-Louisiana Team.
While at Tulane, Thomaskutty was honored as the national female winner of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar award. Thomaskutty received a Commissioner's Academic Medal from Conference USA. She was named the Metro Conference student-athlete of the year her junior season.
Thomaskutty graduated magna cum laude (Bachelor of Science in Management) from Tulane's A. B. Freeman School of Business in 1996. She later earned her master's degree (Masters of Business Administration) from Illinois State in 2002.
She spent the 1997-98 season as assistant women's basketball coach at Saint Louis University before moving on to Illinois State. There, Thomaskutty was credited with a key role in recruiting players who made the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team in three consecutive years. Her duties also included strength and conditioning, nutritional development, academic progress, perimeter player coaching, and scouting and game plan preparation.
A native of Somerville, Ala., Thomaskutty was a Street & Smith's Magazine Honorable Mention All-American at Brewer High School. An avid runner, Thomaskutty has competed in five marathons.
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