INDIANAPOLIS – Last September when IUPUI Director of Athletics Mike Moore was looking for a new face to lead the IUPUI women’s basketball program, he hired Austin Parkinson to take over the reins of the program on a one-year term with a nationwide search for a head coach to follow at the conclusion of the season.
In just one season, Parkinson improved IUPUI’s win total from the previous year and more importantly, changed the culture of the program, and Moore announced today that Parkinson will remain the head coach of the IUPUI women’s basketball program.
"I’m pleased that Austin emerged as the clear choice for the position. He has in one short year created a positive atmosphere that will pay dividends on and off the court for the women’s basketball program," Moore said. "I look forward to bigger and better things as we advance the goal of recruiting, retaining, and graduating champions."
"Austin’s done an excellent job as interim head coach," IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz added. "He emerged from a strong pool of candidates, and he is the right leader to build the women Jaguars into academic and athletic champions."
"I am truly humbled that Mike [Moore] and Chancellor Bantz have the faith in me to continue to lead the women’s basketball program here at IUPUI," Parkinson said. "We have established a solid foundation and we will create an atmosphere of success both on and off the court."
A point guard during his playing days at Purdue under legendary head coach Gene Keady, Parkinson valued sharing the basketball and limiting turnovers. Inheriting a team that turned the ball over six more times than their opponents and averaged less than 10 assists per game last season, Parkinson helped this year’s team dramatically improve its turnover margin and assists total.
Additionally, with just three post players on the roster in Kerah Nelson, Janna Eichelberger, and Clara Mitchell, all three increased their field goal percentage and rebounding totals under Parkinson’s tutelage. Nelson, who was IUPUI’s leading scorer at 12.7 ppg and was an honorable-mention all-Summit League selection, shot 55.3 percent from the floor in Summit League play to rank second.
Nelson, Eichelberger, and Mitchell are three of IUPUI’s nine returners that Parkinson will have back next season. The Kokomo, Ind., native also has Emily Phillips and Katie Comello at his disposal for the 2011-12 campaign. Both players practiced with the team this year but were unable to compete due to NCAA transfer rules.
In addition, Parkinson has inked three top preps from the Midwest to join next year’s roster.
"We have set the right tone in the spring with our work ethic in the weight room and attention to detail in individual work outs," Parkinson said. "We are excited to be able to incorporate both Emily [Phillips] and Katie [Comello] to the solid returners we have coming back and our ladies recognize that the improvements we make next season will be largely determined by their effort and focus this spring and summer."
Prior to leading the women’s basketball program, Parkinson served as an assistant coach of the IUPUI men’s basketball staff for two seasons and helped both Robert Glenn and Alex Young elevate to First Team All-Summit League honors in 2010. In addition, the Jags’ 25 wins in 2009-10 were one shy of the program’s single-season record in that category.
The 29-year old was a four-year letterwinner at Purdue from 2000-04 and closed his career tied for tenth on the Boilermakers’ all-time assist list after leading the squad in that category in both his sophomore and seniors seasons. Additionally, he led the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of his final three seasons. He received both his B.S. (‘04) and Masters (‘06) from Purdue in Organizational Leadership and Supervision.
Parkinson comes from impressive basketball pedigree as his father, Bruce, is Purdue’s all-time assist leader and a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. His grandfather, Jack, played for the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky and is a member of the Indiana and Kentucky Basketball Halls of Fame.
Parkinson will be formally introduced at a press conference on Monday, April 25, at 3 p.m., at the IUPUI Campus Center.