Former WNBA player and All-Southeastern Conference performer Jenni Benningfield has been named an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado, head coach Linda Lappe announced on Saturday.
Benningfield served the last two seasons as the director of operations for the Buffaloes’ program. With hiring of Jamie Carey last month, Colorado now has two former WNBA veterans on its coaching staff.
"I’m very honored and grateful to have this opportunity to continue to share my knowledge, passion, and experiences with this program, now in a different role as an assistant coach,” Benningfield said. “I am eager to work alongside an amazing staff who all bring something different to make our program better, and who also share the competitive drive and vision to be the best."
In her two seasons as director of operations, Benningfield handled a variety of duties including scheduling and team travel, monitoring the budget and coordinating community service efforts. She was also co-director for Colorado’s summer basketball camps.
During her first season she took on the task of organizing Colorado’s 10-day tour of Italy which took place in August 2013.
“Jenni has been an integral part of our team during the past two seasons and now we are excited that she will get to be on the floor coaching,” Lappe said. “She has a very high basketball IQ and is a proven winner so there is no doubt she will help our team and staff get better.”
Before joining the women’s basketball staff, she was a volunteer assistant coach with the Buffaloes’ volleyball team in 2011, serving as a sports psychology consultant. She was also the head varsity girls basketball coach at Pomona High School in Arvada for the 2011-12 season and in that same role at Nederland (Colo.) High School in 2010-11.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Benningfield was a four-year standout at Vanderbilt University (2000-04) where she helped the Commodores to four NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of SEC Tournament titles (2002, ’04). She scored 1,501 points for Vanderbilt, averaging 11 points and 6.3 rebounds in 136 career games. A two-time All-SEC second team selection (2003, ’04), Benningfield earned honorable mention to the 2003 Associated Press All-America team as a junior averaging 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field.
Benningfield was drafted by the Charlotte Sting in the second round of the 2004 WNBA Draft (22nd pick overall). She later signed with the Indiana Fever, where she played the 2005 season. In addition to her WNBA career, she played internationally in Spain (2004-08) and Australia (2008-09).
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Vanderbilt in 2004 and completed her Master of Education in Sport Psychology and Counseling from Boston University in 2010. Benningfield served as a sport psychology consultant at Wheelock College in Boston while working on her master’s.
Benningfield is a 2000 graduate of Assumption High School in Louisville, the same school that produced Ceal Barry. She excelled in both volleyball and basketball at Assumption, earning second team All-America honors and a national championship in volleyball while earning Miss Basketball in Kentucky on the hardwood. She was a captain on the 2003 USA silver medal winning basketball team at the Pan-American Games.
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