Rachel Janzen has been hired as an assistant coach for Allen Community College’s women’s basketball team. She comes to the Red Devils after a one-year stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla.
“I was looking for someone who had previous coaching experience and someone who has lots of basketball knowledge,” Allen head coach Katie Mahoney said.
“I wanted someone with energy and who is up for the challenge of being an assistant coach in the juco level because it definitely takes lots of energy and dedication. I though she fit that perfectly, so that’s why I hired her.”
Mahoney played with Janzen at Southern Nazarene. Janzen was a freshman when Mahoney was a senior.
Janzen has previously coached for three seasons at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in addition to last season at Southern Nazarene.
“She’s young, so she can relate well to the players and that’s always a big thing to have in an assistant coach,” Mahoney said. “She’s got tons of energy and I think that will roll over to the players, too.”
Janzen said that she and Mahoney want to turn the program into a winner.
“Our motto is going to be ‘brick by brick,’ and we’re just talking about building on building on building every day to get better,” Janzen said. “We want to turn the program around into a winning program.”
Janzen will focus on coaching the guards.
“I was a guard myself and very offensive-minded,” Janzen said. “As I got out of playing and into coaching, I became more defensive-minded. So, I really like scouting teams and taking away their strengths and use that to outsmart them.”
The women’s basketball season starts in October, with the first official game on Nov. 1.
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