MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In April, Cody Gilmore was putting plans in place for his fifth season as the women’s basketball head coach at Salem University. The Harrison County native was leading a Division II program about fifteen miles from where he grew up in Clarksburg.
Meanwhile at the University of Delaware, a new new head coach was hired to lead a program that won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament a month earlier. Gilmore met the new head coach at UD, Sarah Jenkins, years earlier at a coaching convention.
“We became fast friends. It became a running joke between the two of us when she asked why I didn’t have a D1 job. I would joke back with her, ‘Well, I guess I need the right program to get hired. So why don’t you get a job?’ She helped me with a couple opportunities that I turned down because they weren’t right for me and my family,” Gilmore said.
A few conversations and a campus visit from Gilmore and his family led to an offer to be an assistant coach at the Division I school.
“When she got this position, I wasn’t really thinking she was going to hire me. She reached out to me asking to talk. We came up here to play an exhibition game during COVID. I assumed she wanted to play another one. She said, ‘No, I want to talk about the job’. I met with her, brought my family and they fell in love with the place.”
Gilmore was officially hired in mid-April. He is now one of four full-time coaches with an extensive support staff.
“At the D2 level, you are wearing a ton of hats. You have people that really care a lot about the school and the program at that level, but they have other jobs. Here we have a dedicated strength coach, dedicated academic people for just our players. You get to just be a basketball coach.”
Gilmore’s initial plans to become a basketball coach were formed during his prep days at Robert C. Byrd High School. He was a three-year letterman in basketball, playing for the school’s all-time wins leader Bill Bennett.
“He actually invited me down when I was in college to go to the UNC coaches clinic. Seeing how much he cared and enjoyed it was huge. And the same with Coach [Mike] Robey. I grew up around coaches my whole life.”
Gilmore played basketball at Glenville State and later became a student assistant under Bunky Harkleroad. Gilmore transferred to Fairmont State and graduated in 2013. He spent the next five years as an assistant coach at GSU, working with Charles Marshall and national champion head coach Kim Stephens.
“You take what you like and add it to what you already know and you continue to build your philosophy. That’s what I did the whole time I was at Glenville. Everybody had a little bit different way to play. You take pieces and try to find what works best for you as a coach.”
GREAT NEWS 🚨 | Head Coach @COACH_SCJ22 adds 3⃣ to her staff. #BlueHens, let’s give a warm welcome to Sam Pierce Jr., Bri Hutchen & Cody Gilmore
Full 🗞️ ➡️ https://t.co/AIqVspcq3p pic.twitter.com/hoq7PQ5UBY
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 20, 2022
In the spring of 2018, Gilmore earned his first head coaching opportunity at Salem.
“I learned a lot about basketball and I learned a lot as a coach. Sliding over those six inches to the next seat, it is one of those things you are never ready for until you actually do it. Recruiting the right players and learning how to build a program was kind of the biggest thing I learned. Coming from Glenville, where we had things rolling and the culture was in place and you could just plug players in and they fit into the mold, that’s not the same everywhere. That’s the biggest thing I learned. Getting good players isn’t enough.
“I wasn’t really anticipating leaving Salem. I was enjoying being a head coach and I was enjoying being at home with family and everybody I knew. My younger self was like, ‘I will be there quick’. As you mature and grow, you realize it is not as easy as just winning and then somebody will scoop you up.”
Delaware posted a 24-8 record last year but many of the Blue Hens’ top contributors have graduated. This year’s roster will be comprised of several newcomers and younger players.
“We have some key role players back. We’ve got some players that played decent minutes but didn’t really carry the load. We are asking them to step up. They witnessed it all so they understand the work that it takes.
“The nice thing about here is that we can kind of go anywhere [in recruiting] because the Delaware brand is known. With [Elena] Delle Donne and Jasmine Dickey last year making the NCAA Tournament, people know what Delaware is.”