Northern Kentucky University Director of Athletics Ken Bothof announced Camryn Whitaker as head coach of the women’s basketball program Friday morning.
“I am delighted to welcome Camryn to Norse Nation,” said Bothof. “As I have gotten to know more about Camryn over the last two weeks it became clear that she is the right fit to lead our women’s basketball program. Camryn not only has a great basketball IQ, she has also excelled in recruiting and developing her student-athletes on and off the court. Combining those elements with her ties to Kentucky and Ohio make her the right coach for NKU.”
Whitaker takes over the Norse program after serving as an assistant for the nationally-ranked Kentucky Wildcats last year, helping guide UK to a Sweet 16 appearance.
Prior to her coaching stint at Kentucky, Whitaker was an assistant coach at the University of Dayton for three seasons, where she helped lead the Flyers to a 79-18 (.814) overall record and 42-4 (.913) Atlantic 10 mark. During this span, Dayton won two A-10 regular-season championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament all three years, making an appearance in the Elite 8 in 2014-15.
“I am extremely grateful that President [Geoffrey] Mearns and Ken have given me this incredible opportunity to lead the Northern Kentucky women’s basketball team and I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to each of them,” said Whitaker. “NKU has such a rich history filled with many great accomplishments and I look forward to continuing that success in this next chapter at Northern Kentucky. The current student-athletes on this team are all high character and I cannot wait to work with these young women.”
Whitaker is originally from Cynthiana, Kentucky, where she was a standout player at Harrison County High School, garnering USA Today honorable mention and second-team all-state accolades.
Following her standout high school career, Whitaker went to Western Kentucky University where she led the program to 97 wins and post-season berths during each of her five seasons with the Hilltoppers. Ranking third all-time in program history in assists, she helped lead WKU to the 2002-03 Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament.
Whitaker began her coaching career in 2006 at Austin Peay. She spent two seasons with the Governors and three at Missouri State before returning to her Alma Mater for one campaign.
Northern Kentucky will hold a formal press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 10 at BB&T Arena. NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns, Bothof and Whitaker will each speak at the event, which is open to both the general public and members of the media. Parking will be available in Lot O and admission can be gained through the East entrance.
Northern Kentucky is coming off of a 19-14 record, including a 9-9 mark in its inaugural Horizon League campaign. The winning record this season was its 33rd-straight. NKU also appeared in the WBI for the fourth-consecutive season. The Norse recently completed the reclassification process to Division I and will be eligible for NCAA postseason competition this upcoming season.
Photo Courtesy NKU Athletics
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