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Pingeton brings three
years on the staff at Iowa State, eight years of NAIA head coaching
experience and two years as an assistant coach in the Missouri
Valley Conference to Illinois State. At every stop, she was part of
building and continuing a record of success. She wants to bring that
level of success back to Illinois State.
"I'm extremely proud
and honored to coach at Illinois State," said Pingeton. "Illinois
State has potential. We plan to get started immediately, getting
into the gym with workouts for our student-athletes. I want to bring
Illinois State back to where it was in the days when it was a
dominant team in the conference and the Redbirds were always
competing for an NCAA Tournament bid."
Pingeton (pronounced
PINJ-ton) becomes just the fourth head coach in Illinois State
history. During Pingeton's time with the Cyclones, they won the 2001
Big XII Conference championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the
NCAA Tournament. Iowa State was 63-31 during Pingeton's three
seasons in Ames, and she was instrumental in the development of
all-American center Angie Welle.
At St. Ambrose
University, an NAIA school in Davenport, Iowa, Pingeton led her alma
mater to 24 wins per season and advanced to the Elite Eight of the
NAIA National Tournament twice between 1992 and 2000. Her teams
produced a 194-76 record in eight seasons, earning NAIA national
tourney bids five times. In 1994, Pingeton added the
responsibilities of assistant athletics director at St. Ambrose. She
was conference coach of the year three times and Kodak District
Coach of the Year in 2000.
Before taking over as
head coach at St. Ambrose in 1992, the former Robin Becker served on
the Drake staff of current Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder from 1990-92.
Those were the early stages of Drake's return to basketball
prominence.
It all impressed
Illinois State Director of Athletics Perk Weisenburger.
"Robin is a dynamic,
high-energy individual with excellent head coaching and assistant
coaching experiences," said Weisenburger. "Some of the qualities she
brings to Illinois State include an extensive recruiting background,
attention to detail especially in the area of player development, a
great ability to relate to student-athletes and a passion for
winning."
At Iowa State,
Pingeton was part of a program heading for its greatest heights when
she arrived. Head coach Bill Fennelly has brought the Cyclones from
the depths of their conference to national prominence and
established a reputation for grooming assistants into head coaches
in the process -- one of them current Southwest Missouri State head
coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Pingeton's responsibilities at
Iowa State included coordinating recruiting, scouting, practice
planning, public relations, compliance and budgeting. She was
promoted to associate head coach in 2002.
As just the fourth
head coach of the women's basketball program at Illinois State,
Pingeton faces the challenge of getting the program back into
contention in the Valley as well as on the national scene.
Previously one of the nation's leading women's basketball programs,
the Redbirds have fallen on hard times recently with single-digit
victory totals in each of the past five seasons.
"I know I am a very
driven individual with a passion for what I do," she said. "We want
to get started with the players we have right now; it's not a plan
to get there someday, we're going to start building to win right
now. I absolutely love working with college-age student-athletes on
the court and off the court as well. Coach Bill Fennelly has built
an incredible tradition at Iowa State, and I've learned a lot from
him over the last three years."
After growing up in
Atkins, Iowa, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in business from
St. Ambrose in 1990 and is in the process of earning an MBA from St.
Ambrose. A two-sport all-American (basketball and softball), she
finished her playing career at St. Ambrose as the school's career
scoring leader, with 2,502 points. She played three seasons of
professional basketball in the Women's Basketball Association.
The former two-time
Iowa all-state prep basketball player is married to Rich Pingeton.
What they're saying
about Robin Pingeton
Perk Weisenburger, athletics director, Illinois State University:
"Robin is a dynamic,
high-energy individual with excellent head coaching and assistant
coaching experiences. Some of the qualities she brings to Illinois
State include an extensive recruiting background, attention to
detail especially in the area of player development, a great ability
to relate to student-athletes and a passion for winning. She has
been a successful part of college basketball at every level -- as a
student-athlete, as a young assistant coach, as a head coach and as
part of Bill Fennelly's respected program at Iowa State. Robin and
her husband, Rich, will be excellent additions to our campus and our
community. We are very fortunate to add an individual with Robin's
qualities and skills to our coaching staff."
Bill Fennelly, head basketball
coach, Iowa State University:
"Jill Hutchison
established a great basketball tradition in the Illinois State
program, and Robin is deeply committed to bringing back that level
of enthusiasm and success to the program. Robin and her husband,
Rich, will bring a lot to the university and the community. They are
just great people. I believe Robin is a rising star in our
(coaching) profession. When Robin is announced, it will be a great
day for the Illinois State players because she has great
communication skills, which I think are absolutely necessary to
coach today's players, as well as a great passion to compete. It
won't take her long to transmit that to her players. She will be a
big part of the Illinois State athletics department because she will
be a resource who is interested in helping other people succeed. She
decided to go to Illinois State because of the administration, the
commitment and the tradition, but most of all because of the people.
The Illinois State administrators showed a lot of class and a lot of
respect for people when they were recruiting Robin. That's something
people in the business (of athletics) can all appreciate."
Jill Hutchison, retired basketball
coach, Illinois State University, and TV commentator, Fox Sports
Network:
"Robin is undoubtedly
one of the up-and-coming young coaches in the country. Three things
convince me that she will be successful. First, she's a teacher.
Second, she will relate to the student-athletes very professionally.
Third, the Illinois State community will immediately embrace her."
Dan McCarney, head football coach,
Iowa State University:
"Robin is a talented,
dynamic, high-energy person who is a tremendous leader. At Iowa
State, we might lead the NCAA in summer outings, and we all work
together, including Bill Fennelly and his staff. I've been on the
speaker's platform with Robin. She's articulate. It doesn't surprise
me that she got this opportunity, and Illinois State has made an
excellent choice. She is coming out of the one of the top women's
basketball programs in the country. Very few places have this kind
of women's basketball program and this kind of following, and she
has made a major contribution to that with Bill Fennelly. I've been
around her in a recruiting atmosphere, and she is outstanding at
that. Illinois State will love Robin."
Leanna Bordner, senior women's
administrator, Illinois State University:
"We talked to a lot
of people about Robin during this process, and we discovered how
much she was a part of their entire athletics program. Coaches from
different sports work together at Iowa State, and she enjoyed being
part of that. What impressed me the most is that she is passionate
about winning but understands that teaching is part of that. She was
very excited about the opportunity and is excited about coming to
Illinois State University and becoming a Redbird."
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Robin Pingeton
Ray Shovlain, men's basketball
coach and athletics director, St. Ambrose University:
"Her accomplishments
as women's basketball coach at St. Ambrose mirrored her career as a
student-athlete here. Obviously, one of the best athletes in the
history of the school. She is a very intense individual. Once she
identifies a goal, she outlines a plan to get there, and the
intensity carries her through."
Elaine Hieber, former senior
women's administrator, Iowa State University:
"The thing that
impresses me most about Robin is how much she cares about young
people. She cares about them as individuals as well as athletes, and
that makes her all the more effective as a coach; she shows she
cares about them. She knows what they can gain and learn from being
student-athletes, and she knows what they can give back to the
community in the process. Robin is the whole package."
Angie Welle, former all-American
center, Iowa State University:
"Coach P is a great
motivator. She never lets you be satisfied. Whether you are a
starter or coming off the bench, she is able to relate to you and
motivate you. In practice and in games, she knows what to say. If
you are doing well, she will be the first one to pat you on the
back. If she thinks you could do more, she will tell you that, too.
You accept all that feedback because you know she is concerned about
you as a player but more importantly as a person. When you talk to
her, she listens and remembers what you talked about; if I mentioned
that I had a test the next day, she would ask how it went the day
after. She really cares."
Quoting coach
Pingeton
About choosing Illinois State…
"There are about a
million and one things that make Illinois State great. Jill
Hutchison built a strong program. It's been successful before and
will be successful again. The people are impressive: Perk
Weisenburger (director of athletics), Leanna Bordner (senior women's
administrator), Larry Lyons (associate AD) and the rest of the staff
have shown they are very committed to bring both the men's and
women's programs back to the most successful levels."
About recruiting to Illinois State
...
"One of the best
things about Illinois State is that it's in the middle of a great
recruiting area. There are extremely talented players in the state
of Illinois with some of the best high school and AAU coaches in the
country. I'll try to build our core from the state of Illinois."
About what it will take to win at
Illinois State...
"Illinois State has
potential. We plan to get started immediately, getting into the gym
with workouts for our student-athletes. I want to bring Illinois
State back to where it was in the days when it was a dominant team
in the conference and the Redbirds were always competing for an NCAA
Tournament bid."
About basketball student-athletes
at Illinois State...
"My expectations
extend beyond on the court. Our players need to be great
student-athletes, excellent role models and wonderful ambassadors of
women's basketball, the athletics department and the university in
the community. It's important that they are committed to being
student-athletes."
About the people who have
influenced her...
"The Lord has blessed
me in lots of ways. It begins with my parents (Arlo and Judy
Becker), who taught me the value of a work ethic and the importance
of discipline at an early age. I've worked for two tremendous
coaches in Lisa Bluder (at Drake) and Bill Fennelly (at Iowa State).
Lisa gave me an opportunity of a lifetime right out of college. She
put the bug in me about becoming a college coach. I've worked under
two different styles and philosophies and gained a ton from both. In
between, I had an opportunity to create my own philosophy as well.
Coach Fennelly allowed me to get involved in all aspects of the
game. I'll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me at Iowa
State."
About the coach Pingeton style...
"The style we'd like
to play would be extremely up-tempo with our fast break as our
number one offense. Ideally, you'd like to have four or five players
averaging in double figures. In the half-court, we want to get all
five players involved. We will have a strong emphasis on rebounding
and we'd like to play a tough player-to-player defense, but we won't
be afraid to change up on that defense if we need to. The style we
want to play will be fun for the players and entertaining for the
fans."
About the Missouri Valley
Conference...
"The Valley is very
strong and very competitive right now. There are some great coaches
in the Valley, and I am excited about the tradition. Having been at
Drake, and with Northern Iowa and Creighton close by, I've seen a
lot of the Valley. It keeps getting better and has had a good number
of teams in the NCAA and in the NIT in recent years. The Valley has
succeeded and earned respect because of excellent coaches and great
players."
About getting started...
"I'm excited about
the challenge of building and being involved with a new program and
new athletes. I'm anxious to apply the skills I've learned over the
past 13 years. I have high goals and expectations. The number one
priority is to meet with the team as a group and the players
individually. I'm also anxious to get out in the community and will
be looking to add to our coaching staff people with whom I can share
a common philosophy, work ethic and passion."
The Pingeton
profile
Coaching experience
Head coach, Illinois
State University (2003- ); associate head coach, Iowa State
University (2002-03); assistant coach, Iowa State University
(2000-02); head coach, St. Ambrose University (1992-00); assistant
athletics director, St. Ambrose University (1994-00); assistant
coach, Drake University (1990-92).
As St. Ambrose head
coach:
1992-93 -- 23-8
1993-94 -- 25-7, NAIA
national tourney
1994-95 -- 20-11
1995-96 -- 30-6, NAIA
national Elite Eight
1996-97 -- 27-7, NAIA
national tourney
1997-98 -- 20-15
1998-99 -- 19-15,
NAIA national tourney
1999-00 -- 30-7, NAIA
national Elite Eight
Eight-year totals
194-76
On Iowa State staff:
2000-01 -- 27-6, NCAA
Sweet 16
2001-02 -- 24-9, NCAA
second round
2002-03 -- 12-16
Three-year totals
63-31
Personal
Married Rich Pingeton (September 2000)
... all-time leading scorer at St. Ambrose (2,502 points) ... pro
basketball, three years, WBA ... B.A., St. Ambrose, 1990 ... M.B.A.,
St. Ambrose, anticipated 2004 ... born 7-9-68 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
grew up on a farm near Atkins, Iowa (population 200).
[Erica Fricke,
Illinois State University] |
