Tricia Lynne Bader Binford (née Bader; born February 26, 1973)[1] is an American former professional basketball guard who played for the Utah Starzz and Cleveland Rockers of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
She played college basketball for the Boise State Broncos as a four-year starter at point guard, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors three times and setting the school's career assists record.
She then played two seasons of professional basketball in Australia before being selected by the Utah Starzz in the fourth round of the 1998 WNBA draft.
Tricia Lynne Bader was born on February 26, 1973, in Decatur, Illinois, and raised in Carbondale, Colorado.
[2][3][4][a] She attended Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, participating in basketball, volleyball, and track.
[7][9] Binford received offers from several in-state schools to play college basketball but instead decided to enroll at Boise State University.
[12] She appeared in 27 games during the 1992–93 season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, a conference-leading 4.7 assists, and 2.3 steals, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors.
[8] She played in 29 games for Boise State in 1993–94, averaging 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and a conference-leading 3.0 steals per game, garnering All-Big Sky recognition for the second consecutive season as Boise State advanced to the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament for the first time.
[18][19] On July 23, 1999, Binford was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Rockers to bolster the team's depth at point guard after Suzie McConnell-Serio suffered an injury.
[2] A 2001 article in the Idaho Statesman noted that Binford, who was five feet, four inches tall, was one of the smallest players in the WNBA.
On April 22, 2003, she was hired as an assistant coach for the Utah State Aggies women's basketball team and served in that role during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons.
[3] On April 13, 2005, Binford was hired as the head coach of the Montana State Bobcats women's basketball team.
[3][29] Her 207 conference wins are also the second-most in Big Sky basketball history for both men and women, behind Robin Selvig.