Caroline McCombs begins the first season of her second stint as an assistant coach on the Auburn women’s basketball staff. She joined Coach Larry Vickers’ staff April 14, 2025.
McCombs comes to Auburn after four seasons as the head coach at George Washington, where her teams posted a 55-65 record. McCombs' leadership helped produce historic numbers for Mayowa Taiwo, who finished with 1,037 career rebounds, the third-most in program history for a single player. Taiwo was also named to the Atlantic 10's Preseason All-Conference All-Defensive Team, while sophomore guard Nya Robertson was named to the league's All-Conference Third Team.
McCombs' first two seasons at GW resulted in a run to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship. During her first year in Foggy Bottom, McCombs helped lead a team that ranked first in program history in points allowed in a season (55.2) and upset #5 La Salle to reach the Quarterfinals of the 2022 A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship.
Her team set an all-time school record for made three-pointers in a single season in 2022-23 and saw three players decorated with All-Conference honors, including first-year Nya Robertson, a former top-50 recruit, who was named the league's Sixth Woman of the Year.
A proven winner at every stop during her coaching career, McCombs arrived at GW after seven years as the head coach at Stony Brook where she led the Seawolves to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.
The 2020 America East Coach of the Year, McCombs won 130 games in seven years at Stony Brook. In 2021, she led the Seawolves to a 15-6 mark, winning the America East Tournament Championship and earning a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament
McCombs had the Seawolves on the precipice of an NCAA Tournament berth in 2020, winning the program’s first-ever America East regular season championship and advancing to the America East Championship game with a 28-3 record before the remainder of the season was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Seawolves won 22 consecutive games in 2019-20, garnering votes in the national polls for the first time in program history. McCombs left Stony Brook as the program’s winningest Division I coach and second-winningest overall, having coached 19 all-conference selections.
Prior to becoming a head coach, McCombs gained a wealth of experience as an assistant coach for 15 years at the Division I level. She assisted four different programs and appeared in five NCAA tournaments, including two Sweet 16 appearances. She has also developed a pair of AP All-Americans and three WNBA players.
McCombs spent two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn, assisting the Tigers to 19 wins in each of her two seasons, including a WNIT quarterfinal appearance in 2013 and a third-round showing in 2014. She was influential in signing a recruiting class that ranked 16th nationally in 2012.
McCombs came to Auburn the first time from Northwestern where she was an assistant under former GW head coach and Hall of Famer Joe McKeown from 2010-12. Under her tutelage, Amy Jaeschke was an AP All-American and made history as the program’s first WNBA draft pick. McCombs helped lead the team to a WNIT berth in her first season and assisted in bringing in a top-25 recruiting class.
Prior to Northwestern, McCombs spent five seasons as an assistant at Pittsburgh from 2005-10, aiding the program to five straight postseason appearances that included three NCAA Tournaments and a pair of Sweet 16 berths. With the Panthers, she coached Shavonte Zellous, who earned All-America honors and was a 2009 WNBA Draft pick.
McCombs started her coaching career as an assistant coach at Valparaiso in 1999, holding the title for five years before being elevated to associate head coach in 2004-05. The Crusaders won two conference championships and advanced to consecutive NCAA Tournaments under her watch. She also coached Marlous Nieuwveen, who became the first player in school and conference history to reach the WNBA.
McCombs, a native of Medina, Ohio, graduated from Youngstown State in 1998 with a degree in dietetics. While attending Youngstown State, McCombs earned an impressive list of accomplishments for the Penguins' basketball team, including places on the Mid-Continent Conference Second Team in 1996 and 1998, and on the Mid-Continent All-Tournament Team three consecutive years from 1996-98.
She also left her mark in the record books at Youngstown State. At guard she started 112-of-115 career games and scored 1,577 career points, finishing her career as the school']s sixth-leading scorer. McCombs is also among the school leaders with 146 career three-pointers, 493 assists, and 236 steals.
After McCombs graduated from Youngstown State, she played European professional women's basketball, competing in the Czech Basketball Federation and European Cup in 1998. She continued her education, receiving her master's degree from Valparaiso in 2001.
In April 2011, McCombs was inducted into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame in Ohio. It was an honor she is familiar with, having been enshrined into the Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame in October, 2008.