Anthony Turner joined the SMU Women’s Basketball program in early April of 2025 and enters his first season as an assistant coach on the Hilltop.
Turner has been a part of Head Coach Adia Barnes’s staff since May of 2023 and joined after coaching four seasons at Weber State.
In his first season with the Wildcats, Turner helped the team to 18 wins and its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. He helped guide five players to Pac-12 annual honors, including Helena Pueyo's All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive accolades. Pueyo and Esmery Martinez were both selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
During his inaugural season in Tucson, the Wildcats defeated a pair of top-15 opponents in No. 15 Utah and No. 3 Stanford.
During his time in Ogden, Turner helped coach Daryn Hickok to All-Big Sky honors in three consecutive seasons.
He arrived at Weber State after spending three seasons at Utah Valley. His responsibilities at Utah Valley included serving as the associate head coach with his duties including, program's recruiting coordinator, defensive coordinator and post player development coach.
In his first season, he helped guide the Wolverines to a WAC Tournament semifinal run for the second-straight year, marking only the second time in program history to advance beyond the opening round of the conference tournament.
Prior to his time at Utah Valley, Turner spent five years as an assistant coach at New Mexico. While with the Lobos, Turner served as the primary recruiting coordinator, mastering every aspect of recruiting. Players that Turner recruited to New Mexico accounted for six first team All-MWC awards, two All-Defense awards, two All-Freshman awards, one sixth player award and the 2019 MWC Player of the Year. Turner also worked with the post players, and under his tutelage, Lobo players finished second in the Mountain West Conference in blocked shots in 2011-12. The Lobos were invited to postseason play three times, advanced to two MWC Tournament Championship games and set a New Mexico program record for longest winning streak in the 2014-2015 season.
Turner was selected to participate in the NCAA BCA/ACE program in 2011. This highly selective and prestigious program selects 24 minority assistant coaches in basketball, 12 women's basketball assistants and 12 men's basketball assistants and trains them at the NCAA headquarters, with the purpose of preparing them to become successful head coaches.
Before serving at New Mexico, Turner spent a season with Boise State, two seasons with Oregon State, six years with UNLV and two years with San Diego State. In his first year at Oregon State, he helped the program to a 20-win season for the first time in 20 years. He additionally recruited two Pac-12 All-Freshman Team players, one First Team All-Pac-12 player, one Pac-12 All-Defensive Team member and earned a bid to the WNIT while in Corvallis. In his six years at UNLV, the Rebels earned four trips to postseason play, including an appearance in the championship game of the WNIT. Also at UNLV, as the post position coach, he helped two players earn All-American honors.
Turner has amassed more than 20 years of experience coaching and assisting with women's basketball programs in the West. He is a 2008 graduate of the University of Colorado. He and his wife, Jaime, have twin daughters, Alexis and Justice.
