Blue Star Productions

Cara Pearson

Cara Pearson re-joins Blue Star Basketball after being on the staff at the University of Illinois-Chicago the past two seasons.

During Pearson's 16 years as a basketball coach, she has mentored 30 All-Conference performers, 12 1,000-point scorers, eight players that went on to successful stints in professional basketball, two Defensive Players of the Year, one Player of the Year, and one Associated Press All-American. Her team's have also achieved a 100 percent graduation rate in the classroom while earning 20 Academic All-Conference recognition.

Prior to arriving in Chicago, Pearson spent seven seasons working with programs in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). From 2012-14, she was an assistant coach at Western Michigan, where she also earned a Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership K-12 Principal in 2014.

From 2007-12, Pearson was on staff as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Buffalo. One of her former players there, Kourtney Brown, was the 2010-11 MAC Player of the Year, and an honorable mention All-America selection. Brown was the only player in the NCAA to rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocks that year. About Pearson, Brown said, "[Pearson] took my game to another level on the court and helped me grow as a student and a person off the court. She was instrumental in helping to develop my skills at Buffalo to become a professional basketball player after graduation. Beyond that, she has still been a great mentor to me as well."

Before aiding the Bulls, Pearson held assistant coaching positions at North Dakota State, Loyola Chicago, Akron, and her alma mater - Minnesota.

On the court, Pearson played for the Golden Gophers from 1991-95, serving as a team captain of the first team in program history to secure a top-25 ranking, She poured in more than 1,000 points at Minnesota, where she earned a pair of All-Big Ten accolades. Also a prolific rebounder, she ranks eighth on UM's all-time list with 231 career offensive rebounds. During her junior season (1993-94), Minnesota won 18 games, including 10 Big Ten contests, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Pearson graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

Pearson began a professional playing career in Spain in 1995 before stints with clubs in Luxembourg and Finland. In 1999 she played for the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers before finishing her playing career in Switzerland in 2000.

Pearson, a native of Saint Paul, Minn., has been an active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association since 1997. Cara presently resides in Illinois.