Story: UAM Sports Information Director Cody Clark
Auburn University at Montgomery Director of Athletics Erik Maas has announced hiring Jon Plefka as the school’s new head women’s basketball coach.
“We are thrilled about Jon Plefka joining our department and leading our women’s basketball program,” said Maas. “The AUM women’s basketball program has a rich tradition and we look forward to our next chapter under Jon’s leadership.”
Plefka comes to the capital city after spending the past six seasons at fellow NCAA Division II member Post University located in Waterbury, Connecticut.
“I am beyond excited to join the AUM family and community,” said Plefka. “I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Carl Stockton, Erik Maas, Amber Rae Childers, and Tim Lutz for the tremendous opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program. We will work tirelessly to bring success on the court and in the classroom, as well as be good stewards in the community.”
Plefka, an Avon, Connecticut native, had an overall record of 84-55 in five seasons as the head coach at Post. That run included a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Conference Championship runner-up finish this past season, as well as a pair of North Division titles. The tournament championship game appearance and the division titles were firsts in program history.
“Coach Plefka elevated the Post University women’s basketball program to new heights on the court, in the classroom, and in the community and we are eager for him to return AUM to national prominence,” Maas added. “Jon has been an outstanding leader and coach at Post and we look forward to his mentorship of our student-athletes.”
Plefka rebuilt a Post program, which had just one winning season in 15 years before his arrival, into a perennial contender in the CACC. His teams put together 62 total wins in the past three seasons and posted a 69-33 record in league play.
The assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Eagles in 2016-17 under then-head coach and two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Plefka moved into the role of head coach the next season and took the Eagles from an eight-win campaign in 2017-18 to 14 wins in 2018-19 and then to 22 wins in the 2019-20 season.
During Plefka’s tenure, the Eagles went 59-33 in CACC play and reached numerous milestones. The CACC North Division title in 2019-20, the first in school history, was part of a 22-6 campaign that included a 16-3 mark in league play. That season, the Eagles set program records in overall wins and conference wins. Post then went 19-8 overall in 2021-22 and a 12-5 mark in conference action delivered another division title.
He recruited and coached five CACC All-Conference Team selections and a CACC Rookie of the Year. Plefka’s teams are also no strangers to the NCAA statistical leaderboard. His 2019-20 Post team ranked first nationally in rebound margin (+14.1), and his 2021-22 squad ranked in the Top 10 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (17.4).
The women’s basketball program found success on and off the hardwood in Plefka’s tenure, particularly in the classroom. His teams maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA in each of his five seasons as head coach.
Plefka also served as an inaugural class member in the Next Generation Institute of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
Plefka was a multi-sport star as a college athlete himself. He played collegiate basketball under Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight at Texas Tech University. In his senior season, he helped lead the 2007 squad to two victories over nationally-ranked opponents and a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was also a part of the legendary coach’s 880th career victory, which was the most in NCAA Division I history at the time. Plefka earned First Team All-Academic honors in the Big 12 in his final season with the Red Raiders.
Plefka was a standout on the baseball diamond as well for the Red Raiders under head coach Larry Hays and was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Major League Baseball in 2006. Plefka remained in school at Texas Tech and signed with the Angels after graduating the next year. Plefka graduated cum laude in 2007 with a Bachelor’s in Human Development and Family Studies and spent eight seasons playing professional baseball in the United States, Canada, and South America.
