Omaha Athletics Vice Chancellor Trev Alberts announced today that Carrie Banks has been hired as the Mavericks’ new women’s basketball head coach.

Banks comes to UNO from Ohio State where she has been an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the last four seasons.

“Carrie rose to the top of our applicant pool because of her depth of experience as a coach and recruiter,” said Alberts.  “She has done a terrific job as an assistant coach at Ohio State, and she is ready to lead her own team.

“During the interview process, she articulated an exciting vision for the future of women’s basketball at Omaha,” added Alberts.  “We can’t wait to help her build that vision into a reality.”

Banks joined the staff at Ohio State for the 2016-17 season and on the court, she worked primarily with the post players.

As the recruiting coordinator, Banks landed a top-five recruiting class in 2019, and those seven players helped the Buckeyes to a 22-11 record last season and an 11-7 conference mark.  OSU was the runner-up in the Big Ten championship to top-seeded Maryland.

In all, the Buckeyes earned 91 wins during Banks’ tenure as an assistant coach including the Big Ten regular season championships in 2017 and 2018 and the Big Ten tournament crown in 2018.

“I am humbled to be selected to lead Omaha’s women’s basketball program,” said Banks.  “This place is so rich in potential, leadership and vision, and it just felt like home from the very beginning.

“I want to thank Trev Alberts, Lindsey Ekwerekwu and the rest of the administration for their confidence in choosing me for this amazing opportunity.  I cannot wait to begin this journey with the current team.  It is truly an honor to be a Maverick!”

Prior to Ohio State, the native of Delaware, Ohio spent three seasons at Northwestern, helping the Wildcats to one NCAA Tournament berth and two more in the WNIT.

Banks graduated from Detroit Mercy in 2000 with a degree in communications.  She was a four-year letter winner for the Titans before playing professionally in Portugal for two seasons.

Banks went on to coach girls’ AAU basketball in Ohio for four seasons and served as the junior varsity head girls’ basketball coach at Dublin Jerome High School from 2004-06.  She also worked as a freelance reporter/analyst for the Big Ten Network while pursuing her master’s degree in journalism at Kent State.

Banks would start her coaching career at her alma mater in 2007-08, spending three seasons there, the latter two as recruiting coordinator.  She later moved on to USF where she was an assistant and recruiting coordinator for three seasons.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT CARRIE BANKS

“This is a terrific hire for the University of Nebraska Omaha.  Carrie is a rising star in the coaching profession, and I am really excited to follow her success. She has been an intricate part of our program, and we will undoubtedly miss her. I have no doubt Coach Banks will have the Mavericks competing for a Summit League championship in due time.” – Kevin McGuff, Head Coach – Ohio State

“I couldn’t be more excited for Carrie. I think she will do an exceptional job as a role model for student-athletes on and off the floor. She was an essential part of our success while she was here at USF. Omaha is getting a star in our profession.” – Jose Fernandez, Head Coach – University of South Florida

“Carrie will do a great job at Omaha. She is an outstanding X’s and O’s coach, a tireless recruiter and will hold her team to the highest standards both on and off the court. She did terrific job for us at Northwestern and is more than ready to be a head coach.” – Joe McKeown, Head Coach – Northwestern

“I couldn’t be more excited for Carrie and this tremendous opportunity. She is poised to take the Mavericks’ women’s basketball program to new heights. Without a doubt, she will attack each day with great enthusiasm. She will be driven to develop and empower the women within the program as she has always cared deeply about fostering an environment that leads to an authentic connection with her student-athletes and helping them flourish and grow into the strong leaders of tomorrow.” – Brian Baptiste, Athletic Director – La Salle

https://omavs.com/news/2020/4/7/mavericks-announce-banks-as-new-womens-basketball-head-coach.aspx

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