Houston Baptist University has promoted Taylor Stahly to assistant women’s basketball coach and former Husky Kennedy Collins has been named graduate manager of operations, head coach Donna Finnie announced Tuesday.
Stahly spent last season as the Huskies’ graduate student manager and will now move into her full-time role with the program.
“Promoting Taylor was a no-brainer for me and, more importantly, for our players,” Finnie said. “She has shown consistently since being here that she is all in with everything we do with our program. Taylor is so passionate about developing players and people, she will do whatever it takes to help grow this team.”
Last season, the Huskies were led in scoring by guards Megan Valdez-Crader and Timia Jefferson, who led all Southland Conference freshmen in scoring. HBU also posted the seventh-highest GPA in the nation at 3.723, marking the seventh time in eight years the Huskies have ranked among the Top 25 academically.
“Taylor has been working with our guards and has done a tremendous job with them,” Finnie said. “She is a great teacher on the court, explains things in a way the players relate, and is one of the most professional people I have had the pleasure of working with. She is a great addition to our staff and someone I consider a rising star in this profession, as there are not many people that put players and program first like Taylor does.”
“I am excited and beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Donna’s staff,” Stahly said. “The opportunities she has provided me during my time so far at HBU have been a true blessing. I really look forward to all of the things that I will learn in my first year as an assistant coach and I am very excited to be able to continue to work and compete with our group of players we have this year.”
Stahly played two seasons at Louisiana Tech, earning CoSIDA Academic All-American honors as a senior in 2018-19. During that campaign, she played in 29 games, averaging 8.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game and finished her career ranked fourth all-time in Lady Techsters history with 148 3-pointers made. As a junior, she started all 31 games, averaging 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Stahly also played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College.
A native of Newton, Kansas, Stahly was a standout at Newton High School, leading the program to the state playoffs three times in four seasons and was a two-time all-state selection.
Collins was also hired to fill the role vacated by Stahly.
“Having Kennedy join us in our graduate manager of operations role is a huge plus for our players and program,” Finnie said. “Kennedy is one of those people that when she walks in a room, she lights up with her smile and demeanor. As a player for us, she was a leader as an upperclassman and someone I relied on to communicate to the players and be that connection from our staff.”
Collins was a four-year letterwinner at HBU from 2015-19, appearing in 89 games. She scored a career-high 14 points against Texas Tech on Nov. 24, 2018, and a career-high eight rebounds against Texas A&M-International on Nov. 14, 2018.
“She loves the game and has always been a basketball junkie, so when the opportunity arose for us to look for someone in this position, I knew Kennedy would be my first call,” Finnie said. “Kennedy, having first-hand experience of how we do things here, will help her hugely as she transitions to the operations role and we are very excited to have her back on campus and working with us as she pursues her Master’s in counseling.”
“I am beyond excited to return to HBU!” Collins said. “The women’s basketball program has done so much for me. I have missed being around the game and thrilled to be back as the graduate manager of operations. I am so grateful to Coach Donna and Mr. (Steve) Moniaci for the opportunity to return.”
A native of Bastrop, Texas, Collins was a standout at Cedar Creek High School.
https://hbuhuskies.com/news/2020/11/3/womens-basketball-wbb-two-hires-set-huskies-2020-21-staff.aspx
Tagged with: Houston Baptist Southland Conference
