After the season ended, there was a shakeup in the Arizona women’s basketball staff. General manager Michelle Marciniak, associate head coach Ashley Odom, and director of basketball operations Allese Williams all departed. At the time, sources said that assistant coach Jenna Knudson would remain with the program but have a different role. Things have changed.
Northern Colorado has announced that Knudson will join the Bears’ staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She is no longer on the Arizona
staff page, although she had been listed there until recently.
Knudson played for Arizona head coach Becky Burke at Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). She was hired to Burke’s first staff at Arizona after spending two years as an assistant for six years at the Division II level.
She started at Quincy University as a graduate assistant, serving in that position for two years. She then spent two years as an assistant coach at Quincy.
After her time at Quincy, Knudson moved on to fellow DII Drury University, where she spent two years as an assistant coach. She left Drury when she was hired by her former coach before last season.
Knudson will be joining a program that had a major improvement last season. Northern Colorado went 23-11 a year after finishing 14-17. The Bears have made the WNIT in two of the past three seasons.
Burke’s staff now consists of associate head coach Todd Starkey, associate coach James Ewing, assistant coach/chief of staff Julie Hairgrove, assistant coach Devan Newman, and director of basketball operations Peyton Klauber.
In addition to Knudson’s new position, another former staff member has also taken a new job since leaving Arizona. Marciniak was announced as the new CEO of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in late March. She takes over the position on July 1.
