NORMAN – A proven winner with a record of continuous excellence as a player and coach, Jennie Baranczyk was named the ninth head coach in the history of women’s basketball at the University of Oklahoma. Former Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione made the announcement Saturday.
Baranczyk (pronounced bah-RAHN check), who has served as head coach at Drake for the past nine seasons, will be formally unveiled at a press conference on the OU campus next week. She replaces Sherri Coale, who retired last month after 25 seasons at the helm of Sooners.
“It’s a really exciting day for our university and athletics, as we’re welcome Jennie Baranczyk as our new head coach for women’s basketball, “Castiglione said. Her record of overseeing creative and effective offenses, and producing high-win totals, conference championships, and post-season appearances during her time at Drake, certainly appealed to our search committee, as it is the competitive candidate pool. But her mastery of the role of head coach extends far beyond the court, and it is clear that her personal and professional values are in line with ours.
“Jennie prioritizes the general well-being of everyone in her program, is passionate about empowering her student-athletes and recognizes that a program is just as good as its people. She is family-oriented and community-oriented, both of which will help us inspire enthusiasm. among our fans and as we work to bring our program back to the great prominence of Big 12, we are delighted that she and her husband Scott and the children Eli, Jordi and Hope have joined the OU family, and we are so eager for their arrival in Norman. ‘
Baranczyk comes to OU after building up a 192-96 (.667) record with Drake and the Bulldogs to six consecutive 20-win seasons (2014-15 to 2019-20) and to three NCAA tournament berths (2017-19) led. A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, Baranczyk’s .667 winning percentage, is fifth in the league’s history.
“Her mastery of the role of head coach extends far beyond the court, and it is clear that her personal and professional values are in line with ours.”
– Joe Castiglione
Baranczyk, known for encouraging powerful offenses, is busy with a 2020-21 season that Drake led the country’s 336 teams as assistants per game (20.4) and finished sixth in the country in the field goal percentage (48.1%), 22nd in the scoring offense (76.4 ppg) and 24th in three-point field goal percentage (36.4%). The Bulldogs finished 18-12 overall and second in the league with a 13-5 record.
Baranczyk’s teams have dominated the Missouri Valley for the past seven seasons. During this period Drake played 109-17 (.865) in the league series in the regular season – good for the 10th best conference winning percentage at national level – and finished no worse than second place in the league each year. The lowest MVC winning percentage during the series was .722 last season.
Over the past seven years, Drake has ranked second nationally in effective field goal percentage (.540) and two-point field goal percentage (.549), third in assist per game (20.6) and sixth in attack (80.1 ppg) and field goal percentage ( .474). It is the only program in the country that has scored the best three points per game nationwide in each of the last five seasons (averaging 21.5 per game per game).
“We are delighted that Coach Baranczyk is joining the Sooner Nation,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said. “Her enthusiastic coaching style fits perfectly into our culture and her record of excellence will serve our student-athletes and our program well in the the Baranczyks will make a wonderful addition to our OU family.”
Baranczyk won the MVC Coach of the Year awards after her team’s historic 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns, which led the Bulldogs to an 18-0 regular-season conference record and won both MVC tournaments. And after the 2018-19 group set a 17-1 league record, the Bulldogs scored an almost perfect three-year MVC score of 53-1 (.981).
Drake’s 2016-17 team finished with a 28-5 record that includes a winning streak for schools and MVC records. That season, Baranczyk was named Mid-Major Coach of the Year by ESPNW.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be named the next head coach for the University of Oklahoma’s women’s basketball program and to follow the highly successful and highly admired Sherri Coale,” Baranczyk said. “My coaching philosophy is based on the most powerful human emotion for me, and that’s love. The players who wear this jersey must love the game, love to compete and love OU.
“We’re going to compete at the highest level on the track and in the classroom. We’ll play hard, play together and have fun watching. I’m looking forward to being in Oklahoma where there are great people and we can – and will – compete for championships. ‘
Under Baranczyk, Drake spent several weeks in the AP Top 25 poll in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. In November 2018, the Bulldogs climb as high as no. 24 to achieve the highest ranking of the program since 2001.
Three of Baranczyk’s players have won a combined five Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year awards and she has produced 24 all-conference picks during her Drake tenure, including an 18-ranked first team in the league and a leading 38 MVC player of the week. winners. In addition, she coached four players for MVC Freshman of the Year honors, as well as the first two MVC Defensive Player of the Year recipients of the program in 2018 and 2019.
Baranczyk began her coaching career in the Big 12 conference, first being an assistant coach in the state of Kansas during the 2005-06 season (the Wildcats won the WNIT) and returning to the league from 2010-12 as an assistant coach in Colorado.
“My coaching philosophy is based on the most powerful human emotion for me, and that’s love. The players who wear this jersey need to love the game, love competing and love OU.”
– Jennie Baranczyk
Between her 12 big innings, Baranczyk was an assistant coach at Marquette from 2006 to 2010, helping the Golden Eagles to an 81-53 record and four post-season appearances. The 2007-08 group won the WNIT title.
Formerly Jennie Lillis, Baranczyk spent her collegiate career at the University of Iowa (2000-04) and is considered one of the best all-round players in Hawkeye’s women’s basketball history. She was a three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection, earning first-class honors as a junior (2003) and second-team recognition as a second-year (2002) and senior (2004).
The product from Urbandale, Iowa, led the Hawkeyes to four appearances in the post-season, including three NCAA Tournament spots, as well as the Big Ten Tournament in 2001. Baranczyk became the only player in Iowa history to score ranked in the top ten of five key statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. In addition, she was one of only two Hawkeyes to score more than 1,700 points and hit 800 times in their career.
Baranczyk earned a bachelor’s degree in communications studies from Iowa in 2004. She was the recipient of the 2004 Big Ten Conference’s Medal of Honor, the award given annually to a graduate student from each university who demonstrates proficiency in science and athletics. She was also a three-time academic All-Big Ten honoree, a WBCA Scholarship Award, a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and a Collegiate Basketball Award for Excellence Semifinals as a senior in 2004.
Baranczyk, who earned a master’s degree in counseling and student development from the Kansas State in 2006, is married. She and her husband, Scott, have a son, Eli, and two daughters, Jordi and Hope.