Indiana-native Kristin Drabyn will be returning to the Hoosier State to join the IUPUI Women’s Basketball staff, effective immediately, as announced by Head Coach Austin Parkinson today (May 28). Drabyn replaces Stan Benge, who left the IUPUI program to take the head coaching position at Roncalli High School earlier this spring.
Drabyn sepnt the past two years on staff at her alma mater, UMBC in Baltimore, Md..
"I’m honored to get the opportunity and am looking forward to working with Austin (Parkinson), Alex (Mislan) and the rest of the staff," Drabyn said. "I’m excited to get back to Indiana where I really fell in love with the game and I’m excited to get back closer to family and back in the Midwest. I feel very fortunate for the opportunity and am ready to get started."
"We are very excited to welcome Coach Drabyn back home to Indianapolis and into our IUPUI basketball family," Parkinson said. "I think she is an excellent fit for our program because of her tremendous character, exceptional work ethic and knowledge of the game.
"Krisitin will also assume the responsibilities as our recruiting coordinator. She is someone who I feel is an excellent relationship builder combining both her ties on the East coast with her ties here in the Midwest. This will offer a fresh perspective to our recruiting efforts and will add to the momentum created this past season."
While at UMBC, Drabyn was Head Coach Phil Stern’s top assistant and was involved in all aspects of guiding the program, including serving as recruiting coordinator and focusing on player development, advance scouting, compliance and alumni relations. The Retrievers enjoyed a 17-15 mark in 2011-12 in her first year on staff, led by America East Rookie of the Year Lauren Chase. In addition, Michelle Kurowski was named a Lowe’s Senior CLASS All-American and to the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar Athlete Team. Last season, UMBC guard Raven Harris was among just 20 student-athletes named to the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar Athlete Team.
Drabyn was a four-year letterwinner at shooting guard for UMBC from 2004-08, helping lead the Retrievers to the 2007 America East title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. A two-year starter, she holds UMBC’s career record in free throw percentage (.887) and currently third all-time in threes made (168) and three-point percentage (.348).
As a senior in 2008, Drabyn was named to the America East All-Conference Third Team, when she averaged a career-best 11.4 points per game and ranked second in the league with 2.3 threes made per game. She remains one of just four Retrievers ever to hit at least 60 triples in two different seasons. Drabyn served as team captain and President of UMBC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) her senior year and was honored with the America East Sportsmanship Award in 2007. Her community service initiatives included working with Habitat for Humanity’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans in the spring of 2006 and mentoring local elementary school students as a part of UMBC’s Make a Difference program.
The Avon, Ind.-native earned her bachelor’s degree from UMBC in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in broadcast communications and exercise physiology in 2008. She later earned her Master’s degree in sport management from Texas Tech in 2010.
Following her graduation from UMBC, Drabyn spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Texas Tech, where she served as the video coordinator and assisted in the everyday operations of the women’s basketball program. In 2010, the Lady Raiders advanced to the second round of the WNIT.
Drabyn later spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at Holy Cross, where she worked closely with the guards and was involved in scouting, recruiting and practice planning. She also served as the Crusaders’ video coordinator and directed the team’s community service projects.
"I’ve been blessed to work with some great coaches already and I’m excited to learn from Austin and share some things I’ve learned," Drabyn said. "(Austin) knows the game of basketball and he really involves his staff, which I like. Plus, he’s always learning and trying to get better. As a young coach, I admire that he’s always learning and trying to improve on what he’s doing."
Drabyn’s older brother, Steve, was a four-year basketball standout at Belmont University (2002-04) and is currently an assistant at Stetson University.
Women’s Basketball
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