Candice O'Brien is in her ninth year at Baylor and has been an assistant under head coach Jim Barnes the previous 11 seasons, including two at Wyoming and one at Lamar. Prior to Lamar, O'Brien was the head coach at Niagara (N.Y.) Community College.
With years of playing and coaching experience adding up to more than two decades, O'Brien brings an added view to make her mark on Barnes' staff. In addition to on-court coaching in practice and matches, O'Brien handles operations of the team's travel.
O'Brien was a two-time first-team All-Mid-Continent Conference selection at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). She finished her four-year career from 1993-96 as the Bulls' all-time leader in career kills with 1,641 and single-season kills with 510. She also finished as the career leader in kills per set over her career with 3.44 and in a single season with 4.146. O'Brien ranked second all-time in digs with 1,377 and fourth in career service aces with 184 during her time.
O'Brien ranks in the top 10 in the Buffalo record books 24 times in 20 different categories. She recorded 20 kills and 20 digs three times in her career, and remains one of five players all-time to finish her career with more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
A native of upstate New York, she received her bachelor's degree in exercise science from Buffalo in 1997. O'Brien and her husband, Pete, have a daughter, Logan.