Blue Star Operations

Lisa Blalock

Lisa Blalock joined on as a consultant with Blue Star in 2013 after spending 9 seasons on the staff at Ball State University, five of which were as the associate head coach (then Lisa McDonald). Lisa coached the Cardinals in the final 20 games of the 2007-08 season to a 12-8 record and an 11-5 mark in the Mid-American Conference as acting head coach.
McDonald served as the Cardinals� recruiting coordinator and worked heavily in off-campus evaluations. Her responsibilities also included serving as the point guard/guard coach. She handled other numerous tasks such as opposition scouting reports and film breakdown.
Under her tutelage, the Cardinals� guards had been a focal point of the BSU success. She had helped coach two Mid-American Conference Player of the Year recipients Kate Endress and Tamara Bowie as well as All-Conference performer Johna Goff, Porchia Green and Kelsey Corbin.
McDonald�s tenure with the Cardinals has included the three most successful seasons in school history. 2009 McDonald helped the Cardinals etch their names into the women's basketball history books as Ball State earned its third straight Mid-American Conference West Division title, its first MAC Tournament championship and its first NCAA Tournament berth. The Cardinals stunned the women's basketball world when Ball State earned a first round win in the NCAA tournament against two time defending national champions, the University of Tennessee, 71-55. With the win Ball State managed to extend its win streak to 12 straight victories which was the longest win streak in program history. The 2008-2009 Cardinals finished with the MAC's highest RPI (45) and SOS (strength of schedule) ranking (91).
In McDonald's initial campaign -- 2001-02 -- she helped guide BSU to a school record 24 overall victories, 13 Mid-American Conference wins and the program�s first-ever conference title and berth in the postseason WNIT. Her second season included another MAC overall and West Division title and a second-straight appearance in the WNIT, where, like the 2002 team, BSU advanced to the second round.
McDonald spent the 2000-01 campaign as the graduate assistant coach at Austin Peay, where she helped the Govs to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. At APSU, she was responsible for on-floor coaching, on-campus recruiting, ticket management, tape exchange and administrative duties.
McDonald, a native of Flagstaff, Ariz., was a three-year letterwinner in basketball at Upper Iowa University, where she served as the team�s captain for the 1997-98 season.
A GTE Academic All-American who graduated Summa Cum Laude from Upper Iowa in 2000, McDonald earned her undergraduate degree in physical education. She earned her master�s degree in health and human performance with an emphasis in sports administration from Austin Peay in June 2001. Lisa presently resides in Indiana with her family.