Danielle O'Banion Returns: Whalen Fills Last Assistant Coaching Position

Ignatius L Hoops

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http://www.startribune.com/lindsay-...oach-to-return-finalizes-her-staff/481415161/

New Gophers women's basketball coach Lindsay Whalen has filled her last assistant position with a familiar face in former U assistant Danielle O'Banion, sources told the Star Tribune on Tuesday.

O'Banion, who was an associate head coach at Memphis this season, coached Whalen as a player with the Gophers on Pam Borton's staff, including on the Final Four team in 2004.
 

great hire. brings diversity, head coaching experience and has coached at the u.

great staff whalen put together.
 

http://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/tipoff/march16/summitt.html

A note on O'Banion's battle with cancer four years ago while she was head coach at Kent State on the occasion of being receiving the USBWA Pat Summitt Award.


The season ahead was the only concern on Kent State women's coach Danielle O'Banion's mind a year ago in November 2014 as she made a routine visit to her doctor.

A few days later, she was told she was diagnosed with stage 2 lymphoma cancer.

"We call last season an untraditional season, in many ways, but certainly getting that type of news was not part of the plan," O'Banion said brightly earlier this month after being told she will be this year's recipient of the USBWA Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award for women's basketball....

...O'Banion, who as a player was part of Boston College's first two NCAA Tournament squads (1999, 2000), decided after the diagnosis to continue to coach and did not miss a game. She only missed practice on the days she was undergoing treatment to fight the disease.

"Sticking with that routine was part of the medicine that helped manage it, staying with the next recruit, the next game, the next practice – I really felt that was what helped the whole process go as well as it did," explained O'Banion, who is now in her fourth season with the Golden Flashes....


..."From the moment Danielle called and told me ... the first words out of her mouth were positive and how she was going to fight and win," McFerrin said. "I've never seen anyone approach cancer the way that she did.

"To see someone that I care about so much go through something so difficult and do it with such grace is a tribute to the person she is."

Happily, good news came at the end of the treatments in May when O'Banion was declared cancer free.

"I didn't expect to be as emotional that day when I was going to see my oncologist," she said, "but I squeezed the air out of his lungs and I hugged him when he told me we were in remission. But it is a real blessing to have family support around, and I think a lot of the lessons we learn in sport helped manage a less than ideal situation."
 

http://gotigersgo.com/coaches.aspx?rc=455&path=wbball

Snippets from O'Banion's Memphis page.


O’Banion returns to the Bluff City after spending the last four seasons as the women’s basketball head coach at Kent State. Prior to her time in Kent, Ohio, O’Banion helped McFerrin rebuild the Tigers for four seasons from 2008-12. She served as an assistant her first two seasons, before being promoted to associate head coach following the 2009-10 campaign.

“Danielle’s return to the Tigers is a win-win for both her and Memphis,” McFerrin said. “She will assume a critical teaching and decision-making role in our basketball system, as well as other areas.

“As a former head coach, Danielle’s insight and experience will assist our player and staff development from the outset. She is a trusted colleague, positive communicator and someone that will set the bar very high for this Memphis Tigers program. Excellence is all she knows, and her impact will be felt immediately.”..


Prior to her one high school season, O’Banion was an assistant coach on the Minnesota women’s basketball staff that guided the Golden Gophers program to its best five-season run in school history. From 2002-03 to 2006-07, Minnesota posted five-straight winning seasons, including three 25-win campaigns. The Golden Gophers earned postseason berths all five seasons, including four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2003-06. Minnesota advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2003 and 2005 and made the program’s first and only Women’s Final Four in 2004.

In her first two seasons in Minneapolis, O’Banion was a member of the Golden Gophers staff that also included McFerrin, who served as the program’s associate head coach...


O’Banion got her collegiate coaching start with the Harvard Crimson in 2001-02, the season after she completed her college playing career. As an assistant, O’Banion helped guide the Crimson to a 22-6 overall record, the Ivy League title and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

As a student-athlete, O’Banion was a standout for the Boston College women’s basketball program from 1997-2001. She helped lead the Eagles to the program’s first two NCAA Tournament berths in 1999 and 2000, and Boston College advanced to the tournament’s second round both seasons. O’Banion was voted a team co-captain her senior campaign.

O’Banion graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in May of 2001. She earned BIG EAST Conference Academic All-Star recognition and also participated in the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference in the summer of 2000.
 

I like the hire, but she's another backcourt specialist. Please tell me the Stollings tradition of assuming things will just work out in the frontcourt won't continue.
 


Whalen has worked with enough bigs in the WNBA to know how to establish solid front courts. Just get the best coaches.
I like the hire, but she's another backcourt specialist. Please tell me the Stollings tradition of assuming things will just work out in the frontcourt won't continue.
 

http://spokesman-recorder.com/2016/04/20/former-gopher-star-prevails-cancer-threat/


Charles Hallman's April 2016 article in MSR on Danielle's battle:

We first met O’Banion back in the early 2000s after Pam Borton hired her as a Minnesota assistant women’s basketball coach. She was on the staff when the Gophers made their first and thus far only Final Four appearance in 2004, when they lost to UConn in the national semifinals. “I still have nightmares of that shot” by the Huskies, a three-pointer made late in the closely contested game that ultimately gave the winners a comfortable cushion against the seventh-seeded and pesky Gophers.

O’Banion, after five seasons, left Minnesota in 2007 and took a coaching and top administrative job at her old high school, but eventually she returned to college coaching. She worked her way up to associate head coach at Memphis for two of her four seasons there (2008-12) before being hired at Kent State in 2012. She began her coaching career in 2002 as a Harvard assistant coach after graduating from Boston College, where she played 1997-2001...

...She summed up her remarks by suggesting that everyone in the audience take the time to hug and tell people you love them.

In between pre- and post-interview hugs, O’Banion told me, “I’m grateful that a bouncing basketball paid for my college education, paid for me to travel to Italy and some more places, and has given me the opportunity to pay it back to families and young women who might not have the opportunity I had.”

Finally, the Kent State coach said she was thankful for the ordeal she went through for over a year because it “really helped me remember what’s important.”
 

Welcome back, Danielle. It will be great to see you in maroon and gold again! And Lindsay, Kelly and Carly were were at the Golden Goldys event last night along with several of the players.
 

I like the hire, but she's another backcourt specialist. Please tell me the Stollings tradition of assuming things will just work out in the frontcourt won't continue.

With the assistants on board, It’s a good question. As of now we don’t know where responsibilities lie. Well, we are probably certain Carly Thibault will be the primary recruiter; but beyond that…we await word.

It’s difficult for me to find any direction from Kelly and Danielle’s head coaching stints. Roysland’s Macalester teams conference records were; 0-18, 3-15, 5-13 and 4-14, while O’Bannon’s Kent State conference records were; 1-15, 4-14, 3-15 and 3-15. (Although the Golden Flashes did put a scare into the Gophers at Kent). Whatever the offensive and defensive vision is for the program, it’s going to come from Lindsay. And as of yet, I don’t believe she’s communicated one.

I think it’s a decent staff heavily weighted toward the people you trust side of the scale. And it shows that after you get past Geno, Dawn and Pam, Lindsay’s college coaching contact list was likely pretty thin.

Anyway, assuming all the players return and the signees arrive, Lindsay inherited a tournament ready team. It will be fun to watch how she and her staff gets it there.
 



Lindsay has a staff that she is very familiar with:

A former teammate
One of her former coaches
The daughter of her 1st WNBA coach

That should help with communication during the double duty times from now to the end of the WNBA season.
 

While here on Gopher Final Four team, O'Banion worked with post/forward players like Jamie Broback, Khadija Anderson, Liz Podominick and Shannon Bolden (she was considered a forward with 3-point shooting). So I think she could do work with the posts we have now. We don't have big body post players like Mccarville or Zahui on the roster at least not next year.
 

While here on Gopher Final Four team, O'Banion worked with post/forward players like Jamie Broback, Khadija Anderson, Liz Podominick and Shannon Bolden (she was considered a forward with 3-point shooting). So I think she could do work with the posts we have now. We don't have big body post players like Mccarville or Zahui on the roster at least not next year.

We should still have Lamke, the only player left currently listed as a center. Might see a little more time than she did last year... hopefully not too much more time unless she comes back in beast shape.
 

In fairness to Kelly, Macalester is a nightmare for recruiting. With an average ACT score north of 30, and a cost of attendance exceeding $64,000 a year, the universe of good prospects is very, very small. It's the same at Carleton, although they have been able to attract more Minnesota kids. I'm guessing she considered the chance to work with LW as the opportunity of a lifetime.
 



http://www.gophersports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/050218aaa.html

Catching up with the news: the official Gopher release:

Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen finalized her coaching staff Wednesday with the announcement of the return of Danielle O'Banion as assistant coach. Previously, Whalen had named Kelly Roysland and Carly Thibault-DuDonis as assistant coaches on her debut staff.

O'Banion was an assistant coach for the Golden Gophers during its best five-season run in school history from 2002-03 to 2006-07. In that span, Minnesota posted five straight winning seasons, including three 25-win campaigns. The Golden Gophers earned postseason berths all five seasons, including four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2003-06. Minnesota advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2003 and 2005 and made the program's first and only Women's Final Four in 2004.

"Ever since I got to play under Coach O'Banion during my junior and senior years here, she has been one of the best people and coaches I've come across in all my years," Whalen said. "It always stuck to me how great she was with all the players on the team and how we could go to her and talk to her about anything on or off the court. She's always been a tremendous resource for me, but now I think she'll add a lot to our coaching staff and to this team having all those years of experience and having been a head coach at the Division I level and an associate coach at Memphis.

"I think she'll bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, but at the end of the day, she's just an amazing person. I know she'll bring a big spark to the whole program."

While at Minnesota, O'Banion worked with the Golden Gopher backcourt, which included Whalen and Roysland. O'Banion also monitored the team's academic progress and assisted in recruiting.
 

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In fairness to Kelly, Macalester is a nightmare for recruiting. With an average ACT score north of 30, and a cost of attendance exceeding $64,000 a year, the universe of good prospects is very, very small. It's the same at Carleton, although they have been able to attract more Minnesota kids. I'm guessing she considered the chance to work with LW as the opportunity of a lifetime.

My wife is a Mac alum and that information is right on target for the current Mac students. We've watched Kelly on the sidelines at Mac and she's lost none of her coaching intensity there. We will "miss" the annual Mac/Augsburg game that was a reunion of Kelly and Ted Riverso.
 

Appears to be a great coaching staff. I'm sure they will make internal changes as they move along to accommodate LW. Will be interesting to see how recruiting goes in the next couple years.
 

Am I the only one who thinks this will be a disaster? Does Lindsey have ANY coaching experience? How many opposing coaches will have two full time job times jobs. Which job is number one?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Am I the only one who thinks this will be a disaster? Does Lindsey have ANY coaching experience? How many opposing coaches will have two full time job times jobs. Which job is number one?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think there's a route to non-disaster; but then I'm a season ticket holding optimist. And yes it bugs me that taking over an NCAA tournament team isn't Lindsay's only job in 2018. Jobs this good rarely drop into your lap.
 

Wow. Iggy, you call yourself an optimist immediately after saying you think there's a route to non-disaster? Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the new staff. If an optimist thinks there's a path to non-disaster, then we're in trouble. I'm a lot more optimistic than you are, even though I understand those who express concern about the lack of coaching experience and the dual roles as WNBA player and college head coach. In normal circumstances,I might have the same concerns, but not in this case. We'll just have to wait and see.
 

Wow. Iggy, you call yourself an optimist immediately after saying you think there's a route to non-disaster? Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the new staff. If an optimist thinks there's a path to non-disaster, then we're in trouble. I'm a lot more optimistic than you are, even though I understand those who express concern about the lack of coaching experience and the dual roles as WNBA player and college head coach. In normal circumstances,I might have the same concerns, but not in this case. We'll just have to wait and see.

Obviously, one feature of Lindsay's hiring is increased local and national coverage (yes relative to WBB in general). How will what appears to be Lindsay's low key public manner play under scrutiny in November and December? As Lindsay said when questioned about her sideline demeanor, "I guess we'll find out". That's true for most everything.


I do expect this team to make the NCAA tournament next season. I submit that's an endorsement.:)
 

I've watched Lindsay Whale in college, in the WNBA, and the Olympics. If there is anyone who has fire and intensity, it is her. She will inspire her players without a doubt.
 

I think the dual role concern is so minor. I will be very surprised if she plays past this season, so this issue will be over by September.
 


Interesting.... after predicting they’d be towards the bottom of the conference last season?

Actually, I had them in the 6 thru 9 grouping (Iowa, Penn State, IU, Minnesota) hoping for the return of the offense. The offense returned and the Gophers ended up in the 3 thru 5 grouping. My most ridiculous miss was easily Nebraska.

More important, for this season, we return an honorable mention all-american, the B1G freshman of the year, Hubbard and, hopefully, the offense.
 

Actually, I had them in the 6 thru 9 grouping (Iowa, Penn State, IU, Minnesota) hoping for the return of the offense. The offense returned and the Gophers ended up in the 3 thru 5 grouping. My most ridiculous miss was easily Nebraska.

More important, for this season, we return an honorable mention all-american, the B1G freshman of the year, Hubbard and, hopefully, the offense.


Be honest though. You listed them last in that middle group and emphasized they only achieved a 5-11 Big Ten record the prior season, suggesting that even #9 might be wishful thinking. I don’t think it’s unfair to say you had them near the bottom of the Big Ten, and certainly not a NCAA tournament contender.

So I’m trying to work through this new-found outlook for the team since you didn’t detail it other than to suggest Whalen might have something to do with it.... even though you’re in my camp in thinking she should be all in in the job instead of being a part-timer.

I’m guessing the biggest surprise last season was Pitts doing as well as she did. With Pitts doing well, it took pressure off of Wagner to force stuff and she had an efficient and effective year. Bell added muscle and reduced her turnovers. Hubbard stayed healthy for nearly a whole season. Stollings kinda recognized defense as important but not to the level most of us would have liked.

All these factors most likely led to the Gophers having a successful season and exceeding expectations for most. How much of that success translates to this coming season? They return a presumably Big Three in Bell, Pitts, and Hubbard, but they lose Wagner, Edwards, and Fernstrom. Unfortunately Fernstrom wasn’t as big of a factor as any of us would have liked, but will these three players be easily replaced by the incoming freshmen? I don’t know about that. Not only was Wagner a big scoring presence, she was a selfless glue player who made those around her better, in my opinion. That’s going to be gone now and I can’t really see Bell, Pitts, or Hubbard stepping into that role. None of them “scream team before me”.

Will Whalen’s coaching be better than an experienced Stollings from the onset? We’ll see, but it seems like some serious wishful thinking for a part-time head coach with a young staff.

Hard to see everything adding up to an optimistic outlook on going to the NCAA tournament. What am I missing? Is Finau that good? At the least, it’s way too early to make such a call.
 

Be honest though. You listed them last in that middle group and emphasized they only achieved a 5-11 Big Ten record the prior season, suggesting that even #9 might be wishful thinking. I don’t think it’s unfair to say you had them near the bottom of the Big Ten, and certainly not a NCAA tournament contender.

So I’m trying to work through this new-found outlook for the team since you didn’t detail it other than to suggest Whalen might have something to do with it.... even though you’re in my camp in thinking she should be all in in the job instead of being a part-timer.

As my final submittal in the pre-season poll accuracy dispute, I cite one of the world’s greatest deliberative bodies-the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee. This esteemed group spent weeks examining data from every perspective. And then declared they required 48 more hours of intense attention to a small group of teams including the Gophers. Finally, they delivered a determination ranking Minnesota as the sixth best team in the Big Ten. Thus, clearly fitting the parameters of my pre-season ranking.

As for coaching, I do find it amusing that following years of general Borton bashing by fans and media, the program has been turned over to Pam’s best player (who in her introductory presser included Geno, Dawn and Pam in her pantheon of great coaches) and two of Pam's former assistants whom perfectly book ended Pam’s tenure. Danielle was the first assistant Pam hired and Kelly was the last to be sent packing. The new staff does have a lot to prove. And though I think this team is tournament ready, the team has the holes you mentioned.

As an aside; It is oddly normal for a new Gopher staff to inherit a tournament ready team. Brenda, Pam, Marlene and now Lindsay did so. The first three immediately made NCAA trips. Marlene increased her chances by recruiting grad transfer, Shae Kelley. Lindsay will likely need to address the post needs with a similar approach. That may mean a grad transfer or an international player. I don’t know how you do this as a first time, part time coach; but we’ll see.

The team has three of the B1G's best players. That's a solid start. Hubbard needs to step into Wagner's role and yes I'm assuming at least one of the new recruits will step up. Marlene seemed able to make that happen. I'm assuming the new staff can provide a couple of positives.

Yes it's early to make the NCAA call, primarily because Lindsay has yet to say a word about the offensive and defensive styles she's implementing. And I have no idea whether Danielle or Kelly are offensive or defensive specialists. It will be fascinating how the offense is implemented during summer session-almost as fascinating as the defensive implementation. Most of us thought anyone could coach better defense than Marlene-now we're going to find out.
 

As one of those vocal Borton haters, I can say of the three assistants, the one non-Borton tied one (Carly) is the only one I'm over the moon about. Kelly is the one I had the most reservations about because she was there during the years where they missed tournament 5 years in a row. I cringed at Whalen mentioning Borton's name at the press conference. I want the program to have nothing to do with that cancer of a woman. She was gifted a final four team she had NOTHING to do with putting together and then proceeded to burn the program to the ground. She stated 4-5 seasons to long but im guessing her under the table extension from Maturi wasn't exactly earned under the highest of moral grounds.

In regards to the team next year, I understand post play is a concern but we do realize we are not replacing 20 points and 10 rebounds from Edwards and Fernstrom right? yes they had a few good games here or there but consistently the gophers will probably need to replace a total of 10 points and 6-8 rebounds per game combined from those two. Frankly even we don't add a grad-transfer and Taiye can take even a half step forward in progressing, She could stat wise make up for what we lost in Fermstrom/Edwards. I think Hubbard and Pitts's 3-shooting will be huge unless one of the two freshman guards, Brunson or Bell can develop a 3-point shot.

As my final submittal in the pre-season poll accuracy dispute, I cite one of the world’s greatest deliberative bodies-the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee. This esteemed group spent weeks examining data from every perspective. And then declared they required 48 more hours of intense attention to a small group of teams including the Gophers. Finally, they delivered a determination ranking Minnesota as the sixth best team in the Big Ten. Thus, clearly fitting the parameters of my pre-season ranking.

As for coaching, I do find it amusing that following years of general Borton bashing by fans and media, the program has been turned over to Pam’s best player (who in her introductory presser included Geno, Dawn and Pam in her pantheon of great coaches) and two of Pam's former assistants whom perfectly book ended Pam’s tenure. Danielle was the first assistant Pam hired and Kelly was the last to be sent packing. The new staff does have a lot to prove. And though I think this team is tournament ready, the team has the holes you mentioned.

As an aside; It is oddly normal for a new Gopher staff to inherit a tournament ready team. Brenda, Pam, Marlene and now Lindsay did so. The first three immediately made NCAA trips. Marlene increased her chances by recruiting grad transfer, Shae Kelley. Lindsay will likely need to address the post needs with a similar approach. That may mean a grad transfer or an international player. I don’t know how you do this as a first time, part time coach; but we’ll see.

The team has three of the B1G's best players. That's a solid start. Hubbard needs to step into Wagner's role and yes I'm assuming at least one of the new recruits will step up. Marlene seemed able to make that happen. I'm assuming the new staff can provide a couple of positives.

Yes it's early to make the NCAA call, primarily because Lindsay has yet to say a word about the offensive and defensive styles she's implementing. And I have no idea whether Danielle or Kelly are offensive or defensive specialists. It will be fascinating how the offense is implemented during summer session-almost as fascinating as the defensive implementation. Most of us thought anyone could coach better defense than Marlene-now we're going to find out.
 

In regards to the team next year, I understand post play is a concern but we do realize we are not replacing 20 points and 10 rebounds from Edwards and Fernstrom right? yes they had a few good games here or there but consistently the gophers will probably need to replace a total of 10 points and 6-8 rebounds per game combined from those two. Frankly even we don't add a grad-transfer and Taiye can take even a half step forward in progressing, She could stat wise make up for what we lost in Fermstrom/Edwards. I think Hubbard and Pitts's 3-shooting will be huge unless one of the two freshman guards, Brunson or Bell can develop a 3-point shot.

That's a good reminder of what we are replacing at the post. A little depth would be nice and a little scoring and rebounding would go along way.
 

That's a good reminder of what we are replacing at the post. A little depth would be nice and a little scoring and rebounding would go along way.
Fair enough, but post play was a problem last year. I'd like to think the Gophers can do better than "replace" that productivity, that they can have, you know, an actual post presence.
 




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