Nebraska Kearney and head women’s basketball coach Kevin Chaney have agreed to part ways, it was announced today by Athletics Director Dr. Paul Plinske.
Chaney, the sixth head coach in the program’s 46-year history, recently completed his fifth season at the helm. UNK went 12-17 in 2014-15, finishing 11th in the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) with a 6-13 league record.
"Kevin and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions. We appreciate Kevin’s contributions to our Athletic Department over the past five years," said Plinske. "I’m thankful for Kevin’s passion, effort and care for the women’s basketball program. His commitment and hard work helped us transition to the highly competitive MIAA. He is a wonderful person and served as a great representative of our university," said Plinske.
The Lopers were 50-85 under Chaney, qualifying for the 2014 and 2015 MIAA Tournaments as well as the 2011 RMAC Tournament. He coached six all-conference players and four Lopers reached the 1,000 career point mark during his tenure.
"I would like to thank our Chancellor, (former Athletic Director) Jon McBride and the entire UNK Athletics Administration for the opportunity to be a part of such a great University. The faculty, students and the people of Kearney were very open, welcoming and supportive of what we tried to do these past five seasons," said Chaney.
Under Chaney in 2012, Vanessa Leeper Jones became the first Loper women’s basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors with 16 other players qualifying for Academic All-Conference honors. The current Lopers posted a 3.09 cumulative GPA for the 2014 fall semester.11109
The program has also been involved in the community, taking part in the Red Ribbon Campaign, the Kearney Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Junior Loper program at the YMCA.
"We enjoyed working in the community, developing great relationships, supporting the other sports, being leaders in the classroom and a team who competed every time they hit the floor to bring fun and excitement for our fans. I will cherish my time at UNK, the relationships developed, the hard work and commitment of my players and staff, and the great community of Kearney," said Chaney.
Plinske said assistant coach Megan Becker and graduate assistant Saule Kontautaite will remain on staff to help with the transition. UNK will begin the search for the next head coach immediately with the intent of having the new hire named in April.
"We are now squarely focused on finding the next head coach for the Loper women’s basketball program," said Plinske. "We have a strong history of success in women’s basketball on this campus and we are going to continue to support this program so that it can compete at a high level in the immediate future. I am confident we will attract a broad and diverse group of candidates for this top-notch coaching opportunity."
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