After spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach for the Indiana University Northwest women’s basketball team, Nicki Monahan-Keith has been selected as the RedHawks next women’s basketball head coach.
“I want to thank Interim Chancellor Vicki Roman Lagunas, Director of Athletics Ryan Shelton, and Associate Director of Athletics Anna Villanueva for this incredible opportunity,” Monahan-Keith said. “I have been a part of IU Northwest for ten years and have been here as a student athlete, student worker, assistant coach, and for the past two months as the Interim Head Coach. Now, I get to lead the women’s basketball program as the head coach. This is a dream come true for me!”
Monahan-Keith spent the last three seasons as former head coach Jesse Ford’s top assistant. As an assistant head coach with the RedHawks, Monahan-Keith helped guide the women’s basketball program to 60 wins and an NAIA Tournament berth in 2023. IUN also earned a spot in the CCAC Tournament the last three seasons, which includes advancing to the conference tournament championship game in 2023.
Under Monahan-Keith’s guidance, Tiara Jackson was named CCAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023 and first team all-conference, while Jessica Carrothers garnered All-American honors, along with CCAC Player of the Year and first team all-league accolades in 2024.
“The group of players that have stayed through this transition are impressive and are the foundation for what we accomplish this year,” Monahan-Keith said. “We have 11 returning student-athletes that bring a lot of experience to the floor and I will lean on them most to be the leaders on the floor for me! Our incoming freshmen and transfers have already been competing and getting better during the summer and I am excited for their continued improvement. I am excited to see where this team goes this year.”
Prior to moving to the sidelines, Monahan-Keith spent four seasons as a student-athlete at IUN. She graduated with a degree in biology in 2017 and is a licensed physical therapist assistant.
As a student-athlete Monahan-Keith is the program’s second all-time leading scorer (2,219 points), A.I.I. Freshman of the Year, two-time conference player of the year, three-time NAIA All-America selection and had her number 22 retired in 2022.
“Nicki’s stats and accolades at IU Northwest make her a legendary player, however it’s her combination of knowledge, experience, connections and her passion for RedHawks women’s basketball ultimately positions her as the best candidate to now lead our program into the future,” said Director of Athletics Ryan Shelton.
Shelton continued, “she has been instrumental to the program’s success for the better part of the past decade, and I am looking forward to the sustained excellence of women’s basketball program under head coach Monahan-Keith’s leadership.”
A press conference to introduce Monahan-Keith will be held on Wednesday, July 17 at 1 p.m. inside the Terry and Karen McMahon Athlete Resource Room (203/204) on the second floor of the Savannah Center.
