KALAMAZOO, MI —

Western Michigan head women's basketball coach

has announced the addition of

Tangela Smith

, completing his staff for the 2014-15 season. Smith recently completed a 15-year career in the WNBA, where she won two championships with the Phoenix Mercury and earned all-star status while playing for the Charlotte Sting.

Smith is the all-time WNBA leader in career games played, appearing in 463 games. Over the 15 seasons, she averaged 10.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal per game. She currently ranks 11th all-time in career scoring with 5,048 points and 10th in rebounding with 2,335.

Smith replaces former assistant coach and

Bronco Hall of Famer Kristin (Koetsier) McNally, who stepped away from coaching in August to focus on family and raising her children.

A former Iowa All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year, Smith was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs as the 12th overall pick in the 1998 WNBA Draft. She went on to play for the Monarchs, Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever and San Antonio Stars. She helped the Mercury win WNBA titles in 2007 & 2009, averaging 12.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg during the first championship season and 9.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg during the second run. She was an was an all-star for Charlotte in 2006, prompting the Mercury to trade their No. 1 draft pick, Lindsey Harding (Duke), to acquire Smith.

"We are ecstatic to announce the hiring of

to our staff," Clipfell said. "She will bring us a unique perspective having been a professional in both the WNBA and abroad and playing key roles in two WNBA championships. I am anxious to pick her mind about how things are done at the professional level and to allow her to utilize her vast experience with our team.

"Her primary roles will be in recruiting, game planning, post player development and team travel. Our players will benefit a ton from having a proven winner from the highest level of basketball with a passion for the continued growth of our game. We welcome Tangela to the Western Michigan community and to our Bronco Family and look forward to her help in continuing to mold this program back into a champion.

"I am extremely excited to join Western Michigan and I want to thank Coach

for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to start my coaching career here," Smith said. "Coaching has always been a dream of mine and I'm very honored to be able to transition from being a player to a coach under great leadership.

"I know that Shane truly cares about his players and staff and I'm looking forward to giving back to the student-athletes here and help build on what has already been achieved. Everyone has been so warm in welcoming me with open arms and I'm very happy to be apart of the Bronco family. Go Broncos!"

Smith is a Chicago, Ill., native and graduated from Iowa with a degree in sports, health, leisure and physical studies and a minor in business administration in 1998. While at Iowa, she was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention as a senior. She helped lead the Hawkeyes to Big Ten regular season titles in 1996 and 1998 along with a Big Ten Tournament championship in 1997. She currently ranks second in school history in blocks (235), fifth in rebounding (859) and eighth in scoring (1,598).