Christopher Mennig, a three-year member of the staff at St. Bonaventure, has joined head coach Jenny Yopp's women's basketball staff at Illinois State University.
Yopp indicated that Mennig would help lead the Redbirds' recruiting efforts.
"In our search, we focused on several specific strengths: a passion for working with young people, experience in recruiting, loyalty, a strong worth ethic and commitment to our ideals and our system for Redbird basketball," said Yopp. "Coach Mennig's qualifications and experience are what we were looking for."
He was recruiting coordinator on a St. Bonaventure staff which signed the 2000-2001 national junior college scoring leader, Eva Kadlacova of Genesee Community College in New York.
The people at Illinois State convinced Mennig he wanted to be part of the Redbird staff.
"The energy and excitement of the people in the program are what draws me here," said Mennig. "The desire and believe that this program can get back to the level of prominence it once had is real. You can't fake that dedication.
Mennig began his women's basketball coaching career at the age of 19 as the girls high school coach at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, R.I. Mennig was a student at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I. at the time, and became an assistant at Bryant in 1994 while still an undergraduate student.
He remained at Bryant until 1997, when he joined the staff at Brown University for one season. During that season he met Yopp, who was the head coach at Portland State at that time. He joined the St. Bonaventure staff in 1998.
"I met Jenny when I was at Brown and she was at Portland State and it seemed like we were interested in the same types of players," said Mennig, a native of Munnsville, N.Y. who graduated from Stockbridge Valley High School. "We became friends, stayed in touch, and now, I'm excited about joining her staff."
