Shannon, Keener join HSU women’s basketball coaching staff
From HSU Sports Info.
Troy Mitchell, Director of Athletic Media Relations
Henderson State women’s basketball head coach Jill Thomas announced the hiring of Ryan Shannon as assistant coach and former Reddie player Dulincia Keener as graduate assistant coach.
Shannon joins the Reddie staff after spending the past two years at California Baptist University.
“It is with great excitement to welcome Coach Ryan Shannon to our Reddie family,” said Thomas. “Coach Shannon comes to us from one of the top NCAA D2 programs in the country and we are so honored he felt Henderson State is a place that he can help continue to grow.
“Coach Shannon will lead the charge in recruiting along with scout preparation and player development. Coach Shannon’s knowledge of x’s and o’s will be a huge benefit for us along with his ability to recruit high character student athletes.”
In his two seasons at Cal Baptist, the Lancers compiled a 58-10 record, making back-to-back NCAA Division II West Regional appearances and finishing as the 2014-15 NCAA Division II National Runners-up.
In 2015-16, the Lancers finished with a 29-3 record, winning 21 consecutive games and claiming the Pac West Conference title. Cal Baptist advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II West Regional and were ranked fifth-nationally with the team averaging 84 points per game while limiting opponents to 63.4 points per contest.
Prior to coaching with the Lancers, Shannon held various coaching positions for both boys and girls at the high school level in South Central Pennsylvania. Shannon coached the 10th grade boys AAU team for Mid Penn Motion from 2012-14.
Shannon also brings collegiate experience after assisting both the Lancaster Bible College women’s basketball and Elizabethtown College men’s basketball teams.
At Lancaster Bible College, Shannon’s main responsibilities included handling scouting and practice/game duties. Under head coach Bob Schlosser at Elizabethtown College, Shannon assisted Schlosser with practice preparation and game duties.
Shannon graduated from Lancaster Bible College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and earned his Master’s of Arts from Liberty University in 2016.
Dunlicia Keener trades in her playing shoes for a coaches whistle to become Henderson’s graduate assistant.
“We are so blessed to be able to keep Dulincia Keener within our program,” Thomas said. “There is no better hire than someone who is completely invested in your coaches and program and Dulincia is just that.
“Dulincia’s career here at Henderson was truly impressive and we are beyond excited for her to share that with our student athletes now. Dulincia was one of the top post players in the GAC for many years so it will be a very easy transition for her.
“She understands our offense along with our post play. She will be a great assets on and off the floor, as she will help recruit future Reddies and understands my expectations of our players on and off the floor.”
A four-year letterman for the Reddies, Keener finished her career with 1238 points and a school-record 800 rebounds.
A first-team All-GAC honoree for the 2015-16 season, Keener led the team in scoring and rebounding averaging 18.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest.
One of the most dominate post players in the GAC, Keener was GAC Player of the Week three times. She recorded 13 double-doubles and scored in double figures in 24-of-28 games.
Keener was the recipient of the India Norman Award presented to the top Female Student-Athlete at Henderson.