Peru State President Dan Hanson announced the hiring of Ian Holleran, current Bobcat women’s basketball assistant, as the College’s new head coach.
Holleran is replacing Joan Albury who recently resigned after three full seasons and a partial interim season. Albury finished her time at Peru State with a 23-73 overall record which includes the interim season.
Dr. Hanson commented, “Coach Holleran has a passion for basketball. He brings a strong understanding of the game to his new role and is an experienced recruiter. His two years as a Bobcat assistant position him well to lead this transition. I am excited for the future of Bobcat Women’s Basketball.”
For the past two years, Holleran has served as the assistant coach for the Bobcats which saw many changes for the women’s basketball program which included the restart of the junior varsity program. Holleran was instrumental in helping recruit numerous players – both varsity and junior varsity – over the course of the two years.
During his first season on the coaching staff, the varsity team won the most games that it had since the 2012-13 season. In addition, the junior varsity program saw continued improvement over the course of the past two seasons.
Holleran is pleased with the opportunity to have his first head coaching job be at Peru State. He commented, “First and foremost, I would like to express my appreciation for the confidence of President Hanson and Athletic Director Albury in offering me the position.”
In addition Holleran added, “I am excited and thankful to accept the position of Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Peru State College. The past two years as an assistant coach made me realize how special of a place this is to everyone. We have very talented student-athletes who work hard both on the court and in the classroom. I look forward to continuing to build upon the foundation and take this program to the next level.”
Prior to Peru State, Holleran spent two seasons at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. While in Austin, Holleran served as the graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team.
While at St. Edward’s, Holleran was involved in all aspects of the program. While performing the role of graduate assistant, Holleran planned team travel, monitored academic progress, assisted with fundraising, and coordinated community service. In addition, Holleran conducted player workouts, film sessions, recruited student-athletes, and scouted opponents among other duties assigned by the coaching staff. During Holleran’s second season, St. Edward’s reached the semifinals of the Heartland Conference Championships. The Hilltoppers placed two players on the All-Heartland Women’s Basketball Team.
Prior to St. Edward’s Holleran served as the assistant women’s basketball Coach at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln from 2016-17. With Holleran on staff, the Prairie Wolves improved their win total by nine games in his first season. Among numerous other duties, Holleran provided scouting reports, assisted with recruiting, developed game plans and ran workouts for players.
Prior to Nebraska Wesleyan, Holleran was the reserve girls basketball coach and varsity assistant at Lincoln High School in Lincoln from 2015-16. He also worked as the assistant boys basketball coach at Lincoln Northeast High School from 2014-15.
Originally from Herndon, Virginia, Holleran graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in education and from St. Edward’s University in 2019 with a master’s degree in leadership and change.
Peru State athletic Wayne Albury is looking forward to working with Holleran in his new role. Albury stated, “Ian has demonstrated the characteristics necessary to become a head coach over his two years in the program. I believe he has the knowledge and passion to move the Peru State program forward in the future.”
Under Holleran’s direction, the Bobcats will be looking to improve upon Peru State’s 6-16 2020-21 overall record which included a 4-13 mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Heart).
