IUPUI head women’s basketball coach Austin Parkinson announced today that Janese Banks will be joining the IUPUI women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach.
Banks makes her way back to Indianapolis following two seasons as an assistant at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Banks is originally from Indianapolis and played at Ben Davis High School where she was the Gatorade State Player of the Year, an Indiana All-Star and an All-State selection in 2004 under the direction of former IUPUI assistant coach Stan Benge.
"We are thrilled to be able to welcome Janese back home to Indianapolis and into our IUPUI basketball family. After a tremendous playing career, Janese has established herself in the coaching ranks as a tireless worker, an excellent builder of relationships and a great role model for young women," Parkinson said. "She is an ideal fit for our staff because of her competitive nature and passion for the game of basketball."
"I am definitely excited and I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to be back in Indiana. I love Indiana and it is a special place," Banks said. "Austin has really believed in me and I feel like this is just meant to be. The staff has passion about the game, they want to win and mentor young women. I share those same beliefs and I’m ready to get started."
Prior to her two seasons with the Panthers, Banks spent a season at Auburn as a graduate assistant where she assisted in all aspects of the day-to-day operations inside the program.
Banks was a four-year letterwinner at Wisconsin from 2004-08 where she finished her career averaging 12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 2.7 apg. During her career, Banks was a three-time All-Big Ten selection on the court and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection off the floor. She finished her career as one of 10 players in Badgers history to eclipse 1,500 career points.
Following her collegiate years, Banks played professionally in the Ukraine, Switzerland and Iceland. Following her three-year stint of professional basketball, she spent the 2010-11 season as a volunteer coach at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
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