Banbury accepts head job at High Point, moving on after 14 years at FGCU

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Chelsea Banbury, the associate head coach for the FGCU women's basketball program, will step down to accept the head coaching job at High Point University, a Division-I school in North Carolina. She will replace DeUnna Hendrix, who accepted the head job at Miami University in April.

High Point's official release can be found here.

"Coach Banbury has been a big reason for our success for more than a decade," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She is very bright and truly understands the game. She is an excellent teacher, and I know she will be a highly successful head coach. We will miss her, but we are excited to see her earn this opportunity. High Point just made a great hire."

High Point finished 22-9 last year, which included a 15-3 record in the Big South and a WNIT appearance. Their season ended, coincidentally, against an Ohio University squad coached by Bob Boldon and Stephanie Haas.

"I'm extremely excited and honored to join the HPU family," Banbury said. "The growth and direction of the university and athletics department is easy to get excited about. Obviously it is bitter sweet leaving FGCU as it has meant so much to me over the last 14 years. I will forever love FGCU and be forever grateful for what the university has given me over the years."

A Legacy of Winning
Banbury recently completed her fifth season as associate head coach at FGCU, helping lead the team to a 149-28 record over that stretch, the eighth-best win total among any Division-I program. Her coaching has been pivotal in a 69-3 conference record along with eight ASUN regular season and tournament championships.

In all, the Colorado native has spent 14 seasons with the Green and Blue as either a player or coach - including every Division-I season. She came to Fort Myers in 2005 from Yavapai College, where she averaged 8.7 points and earned First Team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) recognition alongside future Eagle teammate, Kate (Schrader) Bruce.

Despite missing her first season due to injury, Banbury assumed starting point guard duties in 2006-07 and averaged 5.4 points and 4.5 assists while leading the Eagles to a 34-1 record and a national runner-up finish in the program's final Division-II season. The next year, she averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 assists while leading the team to a 22-9 record and an opening round WNIT victory over South Florida - the program's first-ever Division-I postseason win.

Following her playing career, Banbury slid right into a graduate assistant coaching position with the program from 2008-10. During that time, she helped lead the Green and Blue to a 50-12 record, including a 34-6 mark in conference play. In the second of those seasons, she helped guide the program to its first-ever ASUN regular season championship.

With a master's degree in hand, Banbury was elevated to an assistant coaching position in 2010-11. She helped guide the Eagles to a 28-4 record and the team's third-straight 17-3 record in conference play. The team took down Drexel in the opening round of the WNIT, as well, for the program's third Division-I postseason victory in four seasons.

In her four seasons as an assistant coach prior to being elevated, Banbury helped lead FGCU to a 110-22 record and an astounding 70-4 mark in ASUN play. The team won four ASUN regular season championships, two tournament championships and made a pair of appearances in both the NCAA Tournament and the WNIT.

During her time on campus, Banbury achieved a bachelor's in finance in 2007 and a master's in business administration in 2010.

Awards
Following the 2015-16 season, Banbury was presented with the FGCU athletic department's Stanley "Butch" Perchan award, which is given annually to an athletic department staff member who bleeds Green and Blue.

In 2011-12, she was recognized as one of the top 25 mid-major assistant coaches across the nation by CollegeInsider.com. Banbury was the lone ASUN coach mentioned on the list and checked in at No. 21. The list took into account a variety of factors including an assistant coach's work ethic, servant's mentality, reputation amongst peers, longevity and success with the program, reliability, attention to detail, recruiting skills, basketball knowledge and future potential.

In 2008, Banbury was the female recipient of the Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award, which went to the male and female student-athlete with the highest GPA.

A Growing Tree
Banbury's departure allows her to join an incredible group of former players or assistant coaches in the FGCU program to become either head or assistant coaches around the country. The list includes:

- Nicki Collen (2014-16, assistant) - head coach of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream
- LeAnn Freeland-Curry (2003-07, assistant) - head coach of Nova Southeastern
- Bob Boldon (2009-10, assistant) - head coach at Ohio University
- Chelsea Banbury - head coach at High Point University
- Kate (Schrader) Bruce (2005-07, player; 08-10, coach) - head coach at Walsh University
- Jen Conely (2005-07, player) - head coach at Wisconsin Parkside
- Katie Meador (2012-16, player) - head coach at Centralia (Ill.) High School
- Shannon Murphy (2007-11, player) - assistant coach at Embry-Riddle
- Betsy Adams (2012-13, player) - assistant coach at Incarnate Word
- Brittany Brown (2008-10, player) - assistant coach at Delaware State
- Jaime Gluesing (2012-15, player) - assistant coach at Milwaukee
- Stephanie Haas (2012-16, player; 2016-18, staff) - assistant coach at Ohio University
- Jessica Cattani (2013-18, player) - graduate assistant coach at Western Kentucky
- Sarah Hansen (2009-14, player) - graduate assistant coach at Mercyhurst University
- Ericka Haney (2007-09, coach) - special assistant to head coach Kevin McGuff at Ohio State

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the women's basketball program, follow @FGCU_WBB on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook at /FGCUWBB.

SUPPORT THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Do you enjoy watching or following the FGCU women's basketball program? Would you like to play a role in the growth of the program and help take it to heights never before experienced? If so, you can reach out to Director of Advancement, Matt Ring, about opportunities to make an impact on the experiences of our student-athletes. He can be reached by email at mring@fgcu.edu or by office phone at 239-745-4434.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring 2018 semester and had an ASUN and state of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.

--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--

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