University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Women's Basketball
Huizar, Valerie
Valerie Huizar
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- valerie.huizar@louisiana.edu
- Phone:
- (337) 482-1701
The 2022-23 campaign will mark the sixth season for Valerie Huizar on staff and her second as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator of the Louisiana Women’s Basketball team. She brings a wide range of experience and progressive history of success to the Ragin’ Cajuns, both as a former head coach and as an assistant coach.
Continuing to serve in the role of the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021-22, Louisiana’s offense was solid despite the absence of leading scorer Brandi Williams for the majority of the season, ranking first in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally in field goal percentage (45.5).
Three Ragin’ Cajuns averaged over 10 points per contest last year, with Makayia Hallmon leading the way with 11.8 points per contest and Ty’Reona Doucet and Lanay Wheaton each averaging 11.4 points per game. Hallmon went on to earn Third Team All-Conference honors, while Doucet landed on the First Team.
During the 2021-22 season, she saw the All-Conference trio of Brandi Williams, Ty’Reona Doucet and Skyler Goodwin score in double figures consistently throughout the season.
Williams led the team and ranked 13th in the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per contest during the season. She also led the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.448) and ranked sixth in free throw percentage (.818).
Doucet was the most consistent shooter in the league under Huizar’s guidance, boasting a 52.4 field goal percentage that led the Sun Belt and ranked 10th in program history for a single season. Goodwin finished the year averaging 10.5 points per contest.
Both Doucet and Williams joined the program’s 1,000-Point Club during the 2020-21 campaign, becoming the 19th and 20th members, respectively.
Huizar played a big role in Louisiana’s success during the 2019-20 campaign, serving as the Cajuns’ play caller. The team improved its scoring average from 61.9 to 65.2 from the 2018-19 campaign to 2019-20 campaign, while improving their scoring margin from -8.8 to 2.8.
Over those two seasons, Doucet and Williams were key cogs in offense, averaging in double figures in both seasons. Doucet ended the 2019-20 season with Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, while Williams was named the 2018-19 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and set the school’s freshman scoring record with 384 points.
In her first season with the program (2017-18), three different players averaged over nine points a game with Goodwin leading the way with 9.6 points a contest. Goodwin went on to earn Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 17.7 points per contest.
Huizar joined the Ragin' Cajuns with six years of coaching experience already under her belt. Most recently she served as the assistant coach at NCAA Division 2 St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. She helped lead St. Mary's to a 21-7 record during the 2016-17 season. The 20 plus wins was the first time the Rattlers had a 20-win season in two seasons, and it was a three-win improvement from the previous season.
Before coaching at St. Mary's, coach Huizar served as head coach at LSU-Shreveport, where she helped improve her alma mater over two seasons. In the 2015-16 season she led the Pilots to a 21-9 record and in the process had wins over three top 25 NAIA nationally ranked teams. Her Pilots team made a trip to the 2016 NAIA National Tournament.
During her first season at LSU-Shreveport, Huizar led the Pilots to an impressive finish as they won 13 of their last 15 games catapulting them to the program’s fifth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Pilots fell in the first round to the eventual 2015 NAIA National Runner Up. LSUS finished the season with an overall record of 20-12 while posting a 14-6 record in the Red River Athletic Conference. The Pilots gathered a pair of wins over two nationally ranked opponents during their final sprint to the finish line of the regular season as they defeated no. 13 Our Lady of the Lake and no. 10 Langston University.
Those two wins earned a first-round playoff game at home to begin the RRAC Tournament. There the Pilots beat their new in-state rival LSU Alexandria 107-63. The Pilots fell in the second round of the RRAC Tournament, but the LSUS resume was still good enough to earn an at-Large bid to the big dance.
At the conclusion of Huizar’s two seasons at the helm, six Pilots were placed on the RRAC All-Conference team, as well as an NAIA All-American First Team, LSWA First Team, RRAC Player of the Year, RRAC Defensive Player of the Year, two players received RRAC Newcomer of the Year, and an RRAC Freshman of the year nod.
Huizar came to Shreveport with a wealth of experience coaching in college. Her previous stop was as an Assistant Coach at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, having held that position since August of 2012. In her two seasons in San Antonio, she helped to guide the Saints to an overall record of 57-9 and an RRAC mark of 36-4. During that time, the Saints finished top five in the nation in scoring, scoring margin, turnover ratio, and steals per game as they won two RRAC regular season titles, as well as earning consecutive trips to the NAIA National Tournament.
During her stint at OLLU, nine players were named to the All-RRAC teams while two were NAIA All-Americans. In addition, four of her student-athletes received Academic All-American honors in that period.
Prior to returning to her hometown of San Antonio, Huizar served in 2011-12 as an assistant coach at Tyler Junior College in Texas. The Apache Ladies finished that season with a 25-8 record and were Region XIV conference regular season and tournament runners-up.
Huizar served as a Graduate Assistant for Louisiana State University in Shreveport during the 2010-2011 season. The Lady Pilots had a won-loss record of 18-13 for that year, making it to the semifinals of the RRAC Tournament.
As a player for the Lady Pilots prior to beginning her coaching career, Huizar started at the point guard position for LSUS in 2008-2010 after having transferred from Lon Morris Junior College in Texas. In those two years, the Lady Pilots compiled a record of 50-13. Both of her Lady Pilots teams also earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Tournament. Huizar was named GCAC Newcomer of the Year as well as receiving two First Team All-Conference awards, an NAIA All American Honorable Mention, and a Third Team All-Louisiana award.
Huizar received her bachelor's degree from LSU Shreveport in Elementary and Secondary Health and Physical Education. In July 2013, she completed her Master of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler.
Continuing to serve in the role of the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021-22, Louisiana’s offense was solid despite the absence of leading scorer Brandi Williams for the majority of the season, ranking first in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally in field goal percentage (45.5).
Three Ragin’ Cajuns averaged over 10 points per contest last year, with Makayia Hallmon leading the way with 11.8 points per contest and Ty’Reona Doucet and Lanay Wheaton each averaging 11.4 points per game. Hallmon went on to earn Third Team All-Conference honors, while Doucet landed on the First Team.
During the 2021-22 season, she saw the All-Conference trio of Brandi Williams, Ty’Reona Doucet and Skyler Goodwin score in double figures consistently throughout the season.
Williams led the team and ranked 13th in the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per contest during the season. She also led the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.448) and ranked sixth in free throw percentage (.818).
Doucet was the most consistent shooter in the league under Huizar’s guidance, boasting a 52.4 field goal percentage that led the Sun Belt and ranked 10th in program history for a single season. Goodwin finished the year averaging 10.5 points per contest.
Both Doucet and Williams joined the program’s 1,000-Point Club during the 2020-21 campaign, becoming the 19th and 20th members, respectively.
Huizar played a big role in Louisiana’s success during the 2019-20 campaign, serving as the Cajuns’ play caller. The team improved its scoring average from 61.9 to 65.2 from the 2018-19 campaign to 2019-20 campaign, while improving their scoring margin from -8.8 to 2.8.
Over those two seasons, Doucet and Williams were key cogs in offense, averaging in double figures in both seasons. Doucet ended the 2019-20 season with Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, while Williams was named the 2018-19 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and set the school’s freshman scoring record with 384 points.
In her first season with the program (2017-18), three different players averaged over nine points a game with Goodwin leading the way with 9.6 points a contest. Goodwin went on to earn Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 17.7 points per contest.
Huizar joined the Ragin' Cajuns with six years of coaching experience already under her belt. Most recently she served as the assistant coach at NCAA Division 2 St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. She helped lead St. Mary's to a 21-7 record during the 2016-17 season. The 20 plus wins was the first time the Rattlers had a 20-win season in two seasons, and it was a three-win improvement from the previous season.
Before coaching at St. Mary's, coach Huizar served as head coach at LSU-Shreveport, where she helped improve her alma mater over two seasons. In the 2015-16 season she led the Pilots to a 21-9 record and in the process had wins over three top 25 NAIA nationally ranked teams. Her Pilots team made a trip to the 2016 NAIA National Tournament.
During her first season at LSU-Shreveport, Huizar led the Pilots to an impressive finish as they won 13 of their last 15 games catapulting them to the program’s fifth appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Pilots fell in the first round to the eventual 2015 NAIA National Runner Up. LSUS finished the season with an overall record of 20-12 while posting a 14-6 record in the Red River Athletic Conference. The Pilots gathered a pair of wins over two nationally ranked opponents during their final sprint to the finish line of the regular season as they defeated no. 13 Our Lady of the Lake and no. 10 Langston University.
Those two wins earned a first-round playoff game at home to begin the RRAC Tournament. There the Pilots beat their new in-state rival LSU Alexandria 107-63. The Pilots fell in the second round of the RRAC Tournament, but the LSUS resume was still good enough to earn an at-Large bid to the big dance.
At the conclusion of Huizar’s two seasons at the helm, six Pilots were placed on the RRAC All-Conference team, as well as an NAIA All-American First Team, LSWA First Team, RRAC Player of the Year, RRAC Defensive Player of the Year, two players received RRAC Newcomer of the Year, and an RRAC Freshman of the year nod.
Huizar came to Shreveport with a wealth of experience coaching in college. Her previous stop was as an Assistant Coach at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, having held that position since August of 2012. In her two seasons in San Antonio, she helped to guide the Saints to an overall record of 57-9 and an RRAC mark of 36-4. During that time, the Saints finished top five in the nation in scoring, scoring margin, turnover ratio, and steals per game as they won two RRAC regular season titles, as well as earning consecutive trips to the NAIA National Tournament.
During her stint at OLLU, nine players were named to the All-RRAC teams while two were NAIA All-Americans. In addition, four of her student-athletes received Academic All-American honors in that period.
Prior to returning to her hometown of San Antonio, Huizar served in 2011-12 as an assistant coach at Tyler Junior College in Texas. The Apache Ladies finished that season with a 25-8 record and were Region XIV conference regular season and tournament runners-up.
Huizar served as a Graduate Assistant for Louisiana State University in Shreveport during the 2010-2011 season. The Lady Pilots had a won-loss record of 18-13 for that year, making it to the semifinals of the RRAC Tournament.
As a player for the Lady Pilots prior to beginning her coaching career, Huizar started at the point guard position for LSUS in 2008-2010 after having transferred from Lon Morris Junior College in Texas. In those two years, the Lady Pilots compiled a record of 50-13. Both of her Lady Pilots teams also earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Tournament. Huizar was named GCAC Newcomer of the Year as well as receiving two First Team All-Conference awards, an NAIA All American Honorable Mention, and a Third Team All-Louisiana award.
Huizar received her bachelor's degree from LSU Shreveport in Elementary and Secondary Health and Physical Education. In July 2013, she completed her Master of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler.
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