The Davenport University women’s basketball program has added three new faces to its coaching staff for the 2016-17 season. DU Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells has announced the additions of Danielle Pipal, Ray Kimball, and Kara Carlson to the women’s basketball program.
Pipal will take over as the full time assistant to Scherr-Wells having just completed a two-year Graduate Assistant program at Olivet Nazarene University, her alma mater. Pipal was an All-American with the Tigers while she also garnered Academic All-American accolades and was a three-year captain. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science before entering her graduate studies and pursuing her coaching career. Pipal coached the Tigers to an NAIA Quarterfinals appearance in 2013-14 before earning her graduate degree in Organizational Leadership.
Scherr-Wells was pleased to make the announcement, “I am thrilled to have Danielle on our staff. I had the chance to coach against her when she was a player at Olivet Nazarene and then really had a chance to get to know her as a graduate assistant at Olivet. I spent a lot of time chatting with her on the recruiting trail and knew very quickly that if I ever had a staff opening I would want to hire her. She will do a fantastic job as our recruiting coordinator. She is a very skilled teacher and will do a great job working primarily with our guards. She has a heart for working with young women on and off the court and her values align very closely with mine. She is a wonderful addition to our Davenport community.”
Kimball will take over the Junior Varsity head coaching duties and also assist Scherr-Wells with the varsity squad. Kimball brings over 30 years of coaching and teaching experience to the staff, seeing experience at the high school, junior college, and NCAA DI levels. Kimball graduated from Central Michigan University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Education with a minor in Business Education. He went on to earn his Master of Arts in Counseling Education from Central Michigan in 1993.
Scherr-Wells was excited to bring Kimball onto her staff, “Ray brings a wealth of knowledge to our staff after spending the last year at GRCC and many years coaching high school basketball. Ray will do a great job of working with our posts and leading our JV program. He will also have a lot of responsibility assisting me on varsity and bringing valuable ideas and input, especially on the defensive side of the ball. From his many years as a successful high school coach, Ray has great relationships with other coaches all throughout Michigan and will be a vital asset to our recruiting.”
Carlson will round out the DU coaching staff as an assistant coach for both the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. Carlson comes to Davenport following her playing career at Concordia University Ann Arbor. Carlson has gained coaching experience while playing at the collegiate leveling, having garnered time as Skills Camp Instructor at both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University camps among others.
Scherr-Wells knows Carlson will bring great potential to her program, “I am excited for Kara’s first college coaching experience to be here with us at Davenport. Kara reminds me a bit of myself in that she has known since she was a kid that she wanted to be a coach. Her best basketball days are ahead of her as a coach. Her dad is a very successful high school coach so Kara has grown up around a lot of great coaching influences. She is smart, is a leader and the sky is the limit for her.”
Tagged with: NAIA WHAC
