ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul head women's basketball coach
Paul Fessler has announced the promotion of
Amanda Behnke to full time assistant coach of the Golden Bears.
Behnke served as the graduate assistant under Fessler the past two seasons and helped lead the Golden Bears to the Elite Eight last season. She previously worked as an assistant coach at New Life Academy.
"Amanda has put together a solid track record as a coach in our program and will thrive in this role," said Fessler. Keeping Amanda on staff will help with the continuity, but we are excited about Amanda adding even more responsibility after proving herself the last two years as a graduate assistant. Her familiarity with Concordia in the classroom environment as a former student-athlete here is also a tremendous asset."
The position opened up after former assistant coach Kachine Alexander was hired as an assistant at Division I North Dakota State.
"This is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to assisting Coach Fessler in keeping the program competitive at a national level and at the top of the Northern Sun," said Behnke. "I'm very fortunate to be able to remain at my alma mater and am thankful for the opportunities I've had as a student-athlete and now as a coach with Fessler."
As a player, Behnke was a two-time All-Region and two-time WBCA All-America honorable mention player for Concordia and helped lead the team to consecutive NSIC regular season and tournament titles. She earned the honor of NSIC Player of the Year in both her junior and senior seasons as she averaged 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds with a 52.4% shooting percentage in three seasons in navy and gold.
Her 551 points as a junior was the CU single-season scoring record until
Anika Whiting eclipsed that mark this past season and her 726 career rebounds still rank second in Concordia's Division II-era.
The St. Croix Lutheran High School graduate was also named Big South Freshman of the Year in her freshman season at Division I Winthrop University.
Upon graduation, Behnke continued her basketball career in Australia for the Ringwood Hawks where she earned 2010 Big V League MVP distinction as she led her team to a Victoria State Championship.
