The Lady Blazer basketball program turned the page to a new chapter today, as Valdosta State Director of Athletics Herb Reinhard announced Carley (Peterson) Kuhns, as the new head women’s basketball coach at VSU.
“I’m extremely honored to be the next head coach for such a great program as Valdosta State,” said Kuhns on Friday. “I appreciate the trust that Mr. Reinhard has placed in me with this program, and I am thrilled that I have an opportunity to come back home to Valdosta State where both my husband and I played. I know from my experiences as a student-athlete at VSU that I am going to be surrounded by great people and a great community, and I am looking forward to the chance to give back. This is a special opportunity for us and we are so excited to get back to Titletown.”
Kuhns, and a 2015 Blazer Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, will take over at VSU following a six year stint as an assistant coach at Belmont, where she helped lead the Bruins to an Ohio Valley Conference Championship in 2015-16 and the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in the history of Bruin Basketball. During Kuhns’ tenure at Belmont, she participated heavily in the program’s recruiting process, and five of her recruits earned All-OVC recognition. In addition, Kuhns served as an academics and compliance liaison while also adding contributions with scouting, team workouts, camps, and the training of perimeter players. Her efforts helped lead the Bruins to a 24-9 record in 2015-16.
Kuhns went to the Bruins after completing a two-year graduate assistantship at Valdosta State. While with the Lady Blazers, she assisted with various components of the program. Within one month of joining the Bruin staff in 2010, Kuhns was named to the prestigious Gulf South Conference All-Decade Second Team for her stellar career on the hardwood at Valdosta State.
A former student-athlete at Valdosta State, Kuhns constructed her Hall of Fame career and received numerous honors from 2004 through 2008, including becoming the first Lady Blazer since 2001 to be named a Kodak/State Farm WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. She also recorded 1,133 career points, the 16th-most in program history and was a two-time First Team All-Gulf South Conference selection. Her 262 three-pointers earned the sharpshooter ownership of the school record in the category and placed her 5th all-time in Gulf South Conference history.
“I am very excited to have Carley returning to Valdosta State as our new women’s basketball head coach,” said VSU Director of Athletics Herb Reinhard. “It is rewarding when you have the opportunity to bring a Blazer alum back to the university. Carley will be the fourth former VSU student-athlete to return to the university as a head coach, and with John Hansen, Tommy Thomas, and Chris Hatcher being the other three, we have certainly had great success with that formula. Carley was an outstanding student-athlete with the Lady Blazer basketball team, and she has been an integral part of the growth and development of a very good Belmont program.”
The illustrious playing career of Kuhns also helped VSU earn a trip to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen during her senior campaign with a 26-6 overall record. She led the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game, and shot .373 percent from behind the three-point arc that season. In her career, Kuhns also tallied 436 rebounds, 247 assists, 35 blocked shots, and 245 steals.
The approach with Kuhns at the helm is expected to bring an energetic, fast paced style of basketball with an effort to score quickly off the break on offense and put heavy pressure on the ball on defense.
“We’re going to expect an up-tempo game from our players,” added Kuhns. “We’ll get up and down the floor and hopefully put a lot of points on the board, which will make us an exciting team to watch. We’re going to defend, rebound, and put together a product that people will look forward to coming out to see.”
Kuhns earned her Bachelor’s in Physical Education from Valdosta State in 2008 and completed her Master’s in Higher Education Leadership in 2010. She and her husband Matt, who also played basketball for Valdosta State, have two daughters, Carsten (2) and Kyler (6 months).
“I believe that Carley will be a tremendous recruiter of talented student-athletes and will then be a wonderful mentor for those talented young ladies while they are at VSU,” added Reinhard. The experience she has received while at Belmont, along with her understanding of VSU, our community, and the Gulf South Conference, positions her well to build on the great foundation of success we have with our Lady Blazer basketball program.”
http://www.vstateblazers.com/news/2016/6/15/carley-kuhns-named-head-womens-basketball-coach.aspx
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