Amy Stephens is in her seventh campaign as head women's basketball coach at Drake University after guiding the Bulldogs to a 19-12 mark and a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2008-09.

Stephens achieved two milestones during the 2008-09 campaign, recording her 300^th career coaching victory as well as her 100^th victory at Drake.

In her first six seasons, she boasts an NCAA Tournament appearance, a trio of WNIT berths and a 103-84 overall (.551) record.

After opening the 2009 MVC season losing two road games, the Bulldogs won 11 of their next 12 league contests, en route to a 12-6 mark and the third seed in the State Farm Insurance MVC Tournament. Drake won the opening game of the tournament 68-57 over UNI before falling to second-seeded Creighton, 53-35, in the semifinals.

Experience and youth paced the Bulldogs with guard Jordann Plummer earning first-team All-MVC honors and forward Rachael Hackbarth named to the MVC All-Freshman team. Senior forward Kelsey Keizer received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honors.

The 2007-08 squad went 23-11 and won the program's first regular season Missouri Valley Conference title since the 2000-01 campaign. The team was selected for the second straight year as the preseason favorite to win the MVC and surpassed the 20-win plateau for the first time since registering 25 victories during the 2001-02 campaign. The Bulldogs advanced to the title game of the MVC Tournament for the second consecutive season before falling to Illinois State, 70-62. Drake garnered its initial postseason tournament victory in six years with a 65-56 triumph over Green Bay in the opening round of the Women's NIT.

Seniors Jill Martin and Lindsay Whorton were recognized for their efforts on and off the court as they were each selected as first team All-MVC performers, making Drake the only league school with two first-team selections. Martin was named a first-team honoree for the third time, while it marked Whorton's initial listing on the league's top team.

Off the court, the duo was tabbed to the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team, while Whorton was honored as the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and nationally was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team.

Whorton added to her already burgeoning resume with her selection in November 2008 as one of 32 Americans chosen as a Rhodes Scholar for 2009.  She was Drake's first Rhodes Scholar recipient in 82 years. The 32 Rhodes Scholars in the class of 2009 were picked from 769 applicants endorsed by 207 colleges and universities nationwide.  About 80 scholars were chosen throughout the world for inclusion in the 2009 class.

During the 2006-07 campaign, despite losing several key players to injury and illness, Stephens sparked the Bulldogs to the 2007 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and the school's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2002.

The NCAA Tournament is nothing new to Stephens, who in her 14 seasons as a head coach has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Stephens has won 70 percent (.703) of her games as a head coach and carries an impressive 300-127 career record. In home contests, her teams have posted a stellar 175-32 mark.

Stephens may have done her best coaching job during the 2006-07 season as the preseason MVC Conference favorite was decimated by injury and illness, which caused Drake players to miss 74 games, including season-ending injuries to starters Jill Martin and Jordann Plummer. Through this adversity came triumph as she helped lead the Bulldogs to one of the more remarkable runs in Valley Tournament history.

Seeded eighth and playing the tournament without first team All-MVC performer Brandy Dahir, who was diagnosed with mononucleosis, Drake won its opening round contest versus Wichita State, before dispatching regular season champion Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs followed suit with a 61-58 win over Evansville and then earned The Valley's NCAA Tournament berth with a thrilling 65-64 overtime triumph over Creighton.

The Bulldogs advanced to their 10th NCAA Tournament and fought valiantly with eventual national champion Tennessee before falling to the Lady Volunteers in Pittsburgh, Pa. Lindsay Whorton, Dahir and Monique' Jones earned All-MVC laurels. Lauren Dybing was named to the all-tournament squad, joining Whorton, who was tabbed as the tournament's most outstanding player.

Academics have been a source of pride for Stephens, during her tenure at Drake, eight Bulldogs on 12 occasions have garnered academic All-MVC laurels, including a trio of first team selections from Whorton.

On the court, Drake student-athletes have earned 17 all-conference citations, including first team honorees Martin (2005, 2006 & 2008), Dahir (2007), Whorton (2008) and Plummer (2009), honorable mention recipients Linda Sayavongchanh (2004, 2005, 2006), Whorton (2007) and All-Freshman team members Martin (2004), Erin Dohrmann (2004), Dahir (2005), Whorton (2005), Plummer (2006), Jones (2007) and Hackbarth (2009).

After opening the 2005-06 Missouri Valley Conference season with a road split, Drake rattled off three consecutive home victories over Missouri State, Wichita State and Creighton. Drake went on to win nine of its final 10 games en route to earning the second seed in the State Farm MVC Tournament with a 13-5 mark. Drake dropped its MVC quarterfinal contest to Missouri State. The Bulldogs' season concluded with a 62-59 loss at Nebraska in the opening round of the WNIT.


During the 2004-05 season, Drake produced a 14-15 record and earned the No. 6 seed in the MVC Tournament. The Bulldogs upset No. 3 seed Creighton in the quarterfinals, before falling to Indiana State in the semifinals.

In her first year at the helm of the program, the Bulldogs recorded a 16-15 mark and were selected to the 2004 WNIT. Stephens, the fifth coach in the then 29-year history of Drake basketball, guided the Bulldogs to an 11-7 third-place finish in the MVC and a runner-up finish in the 2004 State Farm MVC Tournament.

Before her appointment at Drake on April 21, 2003, Stephens served as an assistant women's basketball coach at the University of Nebraska.

Prior to her stint at Nebraska, Stephens spent eight seasons as the head coach at Nebraska-Kearney. She built Nebraska-Kearney into one of the most successful NCAA Division II programs in the nation, while becoming the school's all-time winningest coach with a 197-43 (.821) record.

A four-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Stephens led Nebraska-Kearney to five RMAC titles while the team averaged nearly 25 victories per season. UNK earned seven straight trips to the NCAA Tournament and also set an NCAA Division II record with an 87-game home-court winning streak that lasted from January of 1995 through November of 2001.

During the 2008-09 season, Stephens was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Time Top Women's Basketball Coach to celebrate the RMAC's 100th anniversary.

Stephens was the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) District 7 Coach of the Year and a finalist for national coach-of-the-year honors in 2000.

Before beginning her career as head coach at UNK in 1994-95, Stephens served as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1992-94. She spent one season as an undergraduate assistant coach at Nebraska (1990-91), before becoming an assistant coach at Omaha South High School in 1991-92.

Stephens was one of the most prolific scorers in Nebraska school history. The 5-foot 6-inch guard from Alliance, Neb., ranks third on Nebraska's all-time scoring list with 1,976 points as a four-year starter from 1985 through 1989. She also ranks third in career steals (280) and fourth in assists (444). She is one of the top three-point shooters in Nebraska history, ranking in the top five in career three-point percentage (second, .399), career three-point baskets (fourth, 129) and career three-point attempts (fifth, 323), despite only having the shot at her disposal for just two seasons.

Stephens started 113 games during her Nebraska career and earned Kodak All-District V and first-team All-Big Eight Conference honors as a senior in 1988-89. As a junior in 1987-88, Stephens helped the Huskers to their only Big Eight title and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

In February of 2000, Stephens claimed one of five spots on Nebraska's All-Century Team as part of the school's celebration of 25 years of women's intercollegiate athletics. Stephens also was inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame in 1999.

Stephens earned her bachelor's degree in physical education from Nebraska in 1991 and completed her master's degree in educational administration from Nebraska-Kearney in 1998.

Stephens File

Personal
Name: Amy Stephens

Hometown: Alliance, Neb

Education

University of Nebraska, BS in physical education (1991)

University of Nebraska-Kearney, MS in educational administration (1998)

Coaching Experience

Head Coach: Drake University (2003-Present)

Assistant Coach: University of Nebraska (2002-03)

Head Coach: University of Nebraska-Kearney (1994-2002)

Assistant Coach: Iowa State University (1992-94)

Assistant Coach: Omaha South High School (1991-92)

Student Assistant Coach: University of Nebraska (1990-91

Playing Experience

University of Nebraska (1985-1989)

United States National Team (1989)

Women's Basketball League-Wuppertal, Germany (1989-90)

Playing Honors

First-team All-Big Eight (1988-89)

Kodak All-District V selection (1988-89)

Ranks third at Nebraska in scoring (1,976) and steals (280)

Ranks fourth at Nebraska in assists (444) and three-pointers made (129)

Coaching Record

Overall: 300-127 (.703) - 14 Seasons

Drake: 103-84 (.551) - Six Seasons

Year                  Overall        MVC         

2003-04              16   15       11    7

2004-05              14   15         8   10

2005-06              17   12       13    5

2006-07              14   19         5   13

2007-08              23   11       13    5

2008-09              19   12       12    6

University of Nebraska-Kearney

197-43 (.821) - Eight Seasons