Russell Wooten, who worked with the Villanova men's basketball team during its run to the 2018 NCAA National Championship, was named the strength and conditioning coach for men's and women's basketball in August 2019 and begins his second season in 2020-21.
Wooten spent the 2017-18 season with Villanova's strength and conditioning staff, under the direction of head strength and conditioning coach for basketball John Shackleton. The men's team went 36-4 and won its second national championship in three seasons, while the women's team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Chula Vista, Calif. native also served as Villanova's interim head football strength and conditioning coach during the summer of 2018 and was the primary coach for the cheer team, the shot put, javelin, discus and hammer throw participants for track and field, and the men's and women's tennis programs during the school year. In 2018-19, he returned to the West Coast and worked as a strength and conditioning coach at San Diego Premier Training.
A former student-athlete at Villanova, Wooten played three seasons as a walk-on for the Wildcats and was a member of the 2009 Final Four team.
Wooten earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Villanova in 2010 and completed his master's degree in public administration in 2012. He gained status as a Certified Strength and Conditioning specialist (CSCS) in 2017 and has completed the NASM Fitness Nutrition program.
