Dion will join Muscatell and current assistant Cynthia James on the Hornet sidelines for the upcoming season.

Dion, who played for two seasons under Muscatell while he was an assistant at Oregon, brings two years of coaching experience to Sacramento State. The Fresno, Calif., native spent the past year (2002-03) as an assistant at Seattle Pacific after serving as a volunteer assistant with Muscatell at Oregon during the 2001-02 season.

“I am tremendously excited about Lindsey joining our coaching staff,” Muscatell said. “She comes from a great coaching pedigree and is a wonderful coach with an outstanding work ethic. She is an up-and-coming coach and to have her become part of our family is a blessing for Sacramento State women’s basketball.”

Dion, who is the granddaughter of former longtime Fresno State football coach Jim Sweeney, starred four years at Oregon as a student-athlete (1997-01). She finished her career with 639 points, 306 rebounds, 197 assists, 101 steals and two Pac-10 championships (1999 and 2000) in 108 career games. She was named all-conference as a junior and senior, and academic all-conference during her final three seasons.

In Dion’s four-year career, the Ducks were 35-11 with her in the starting lineup and reached the NCAA Tournament all four seasons. As a junior, she played with a torn lateral meniscus in her left knee for most of the year and still managed to start 23 games.

Following her senior season, she was given the Jackson Award, which annually recognizes Oregon’s top female student-athlete. She graduated from Oregon in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in educational studies.

Dion graduated from Fresno’s Clovis West High School, leading the Golden Eagles to three-straight section championships and three Northwest Yosemite League titles. A three-time first team all-conference selection at Clovis West, Dion was also named league MVP, Fresno Bee Player of the Year, Clovis West Athlete of the Year and was the school’s student body president as a senior.

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