Northern Illinois University women’s basketball assistant coach Joe Conroy was promoted to associate head coach, NIU head coach Kathi Bennett announced Friday.

The only remaining member of Bennett’s original 2010-11 coaching staff at NIU, Conroy has played an integral role in helping quickly elevate the NIU women’s basketball program to its first two-win Mid-American Conference Tournament appearance since 2007. Entering his third season with the Huskies, Conroy has aided Bennett through working with the post players, scheduling, handling equipment, scouting, and recruiting.

Known for his passion for basketball, Conroy spent five years as a coach at Woodstock and Woodstock North High Schools before joining Bennett and the Huskies. From 2005-08, he guided the WHS boys before venturing to WNHS, a new school at the time, to get its boys basketball program off the ground.

Conroy spent the three seasons before his tenure in Woodstock as the top assistant for head coach Sandy Botham and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Conroy helped the Panthers set the foundation for the team’s second ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Prior to his time with Milwaukee, Conroy served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator for head coach Linda Wunder at Eastern Illinois University. In Conroy’s first year at EIU, the Panthers doubled their Ohio Valley Conference win total.

Before working with EIU, Conroy pioneered the Director of Basketball Operations position at Northern Illinois University under head coach Carol Hammerle from 1999-01.

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