Lacey Shalenko has been named an assistant coach for the SIUE women’s basketball program, announced Head Coach Paula Buscher.
Shalenko most recently was an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has deep roots in the St. Louis Metro area having played at UMSL as well as Collinsville High School.
“I am extremely excited to announce that Lacey Shalenko will be joining our athletic department,” said Buscher. “She has tremendous energy and passion for the game which will be an asset to our student-athletes and our program.”
“I would like to thank Dr. Brad Hewitt, Sandy Montgomery and Coach Paula Buscher for this wonderful opportunity to join the SIUE women’s basketball staff,” said Shalenko. “I could not be more excited to work with and learn from Coach Buscher, who is a very experienced and successful coach. Her energy, competitive drive, and real passion for the game are easy to see. I’m looking forward to working alongside assistant coaches Jordann Plummer and Todd Schultze as well, who are not just great coaches but also great people.”
Shalenko has been a staple of the UMSL women’s basketball program since she began as a player in 2006. A captain her senior season, she led UMSL to the second round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the first time in 10 seasons. After four seasons with the Tritons in which she was named a GLVC Council of Presidents’ Academic Excellence Award winner in 2009, she transitioned into a role as a graduate assistant in 2010.
In 2013, she was named an assistant coach for the Tritons where she excelled in the roles of recruiting coordinator, academic mentor, video coordinator, and finance manager.
“Lacey has recruited the St. Louis area and will help us keep the talented players we have in this area here at SIUE,” added Buscher.
During the 2013-14 season, Shalenko helped the Tritons to a 21-8 record, the second-best mark in program history. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament after being ranked nationally in scoring defense, scoring margin, and rebounding margin.
Shalenko said she knew from her first conversation with Buscher that SIUE was going to be a good fit.
“Along with the beautiful facilities and numerous resources for student-athletes to be successful, what sticks out to me most about SIUE is the people,” she said. “The SIUE staff is energetic, motivated and deeply committed to providing student-athletes with a great experience. This is something that is really important to me. My collegiate student-athlete experience has helped shape me into the person who I am today, and I am truly grateful for everyone who played a role in that. I am extremely excited to help create positive experiences for SIUE student-athletes.”
Shalenko graduated from UMSL in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with magna cum laude honors and a master’s of business administration in 2012.
Photo Courtesy SIUE Athletics
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