Staff Directory

Mandi Carver

Title:
Assistant Coach
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Mandi Carver enters her second year on the OSU bench after being added as an assistant coach prior to the 2025-26 season.

“Mandi is a great fit for our culture. Her passion for basketball and for developing women on and off the court shines through in her work. She had a very illustrious playing career, and I know our players will greatly benefit from her knowledge and ability to develop them at the highest level,” OSU head coach Jacie Hoyt said.

“She has recruited and developed some of the country’s best talents in the last few years and I am positive she will do the same for us. Mandi is more than just a recruiter, she has a great mind for basketball and has been heavily involved in X’s and O’s at a very successful Fresno State program. She is one of the Swiss Army knives of our profession and we are proud she is a Cowgirl.”

Carver’s first season in Stillwater saw the Cowgirls notch their first NCAA Tournament win under coach Hoyt behind a 24-10 record and a program-record five players averaging in double figures. She helped Micah Gray obtain WBCA All-America honorable mention and All-Big 12 (third team) status, and assisted in Stailee Heard’s development as she earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.

Off the court, Carver had a role in helping the Cowgirls land the nation’s top transfer class during the 2026 offseason, as the Pokes brought in five players that appeared in the USA Today Top 100 transfers, including the top two prospects, Audi Crooks and Liv McGill.

Carver joined the OSU program after spending the past 11 seasons at Fresno State. From 2014-16, she served as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs before being elevated to associate head coach. She helped guide Fresno State to three 20-win campaigns and five postseason appearances.

“I am honored and excited to join the Oklahoma State women’s basketball program. This is a university with a proud tradition and a passionate fanbase and I am eager to contribute to the growth, development and success of our student-athletes both on and off the court. I cannot wait to get to work alongside Coach Jacie and this incredible staff,” Carver said.

Individually, she coached 30 all-conference selections as well as 2015 Mountain West Co-Player of the Year Alex Sheedy, 2016 and 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Bego Faz Davalos as well as back-to-back league players of the year in 2020 and 2021 in Maddi Utti and Haley Cavinder, respectively.

Prior to her stint in Fresno, Carver served as an assistant coach at San Jose State from 2011-13 and, before that, spent one season as an assistant at Bakersfield. At both stops, she served as recruiting coordinator.

During the 2010-11 campaign, she helped guide CSU Bakersfield to a 22-win campaign as well as a berth in the Women’s Basketball Invitational championship game.

As a player, Carver signed as a free agent with the WNBA’s Detroit Shock in 2002 and played professionally overseas from 2002-09.

She helped lead her teams to championships in the French League, the Swiss Cup, Adriatic League, Bulgarian League, Latvian League, Arad Club and was a EuroCup Competition participant.

Carver picked up numerous individual honors, being tabbed as the Swiss League MVP, Latvian League MVP, as well as a two-time All-Star selection in Greece and the Arab Clubs Tournament MVP.

Carver was a collegiate standout at Idaho State, where she was a three-time All-Big Sky selection, the 2001 Big Sky Player of the Year, a three-time Academic All-Conference selection and was honored as one of the Big Sky Conference Top 25 Female Athletes.

A native of Dillon, Montana, she graduated as Idaho State’s all-time leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots and as a senior in 2001-02 led the nation in rebounding.

Carver graduated from Idaho State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in arts and communication. She also obtained a master’s of accounting and financial management in 2008.