After leading Illinois State to its highest win total in seven seasons in her first year, Robin Pingeton was elected Rawlings Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year by a vote of the leagues coaches, media and media relations professionals. Its only the second time in 20 years the league has elected a first-year coach as its coach of the year.
Pingeton took the Redbirds from 7-21 a year ago to 15-12 this season. Its the biggest turnaround engineered by any of the 40 Division I programs with new coaches this season. The former Iowa State assistant and St. Ambrose head coach took a veteran team which won just 19 games in the previous three years to a fifth-place Valley finish, Illinois States highest in six seasons.
Pingeton is the seventh winner whose team did not win the regular-season league title. Its the fourth time the award has gone to Illinois State. Jill Hutchison was the league coach of the year in 1985, 1988 and 1996, sharing the honor with co-coach Melinda Fischernow the Redbird head softball coachthe first year. The only other first-year Valley coach to be honored as coach of the year was former Drake coach Lisa Stone in 2002.
Pingeton received her award at the 2004 State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament banquet. She was honored along with SMS guard Kari Koch, the league MVP, conference freshman of the year Stephanie Lisch of Indiana State, defensive player of the year Laura Spanheimer of Creighton, league scholar-athlete of the year Dayna Finch of Creighton and league newcomer of the year K.C. Cowgill of SMS.
Illinois State felt Pingetons impact right away, improving its offense from 59 points per game last year to 72 this season, with Katie Donovan improving from 7.4 to 20 points per game individually.
After taking a team picked to finish ninth to the leagues top half in one season, Pingeton gave credit to her players and the assistant coaches she brought in: Willie Cox, Jenny DeSmet and Randy Norton.
Im proud of these players, especially the seniors, she said. They cold have just put in their time and gotten their degrees, but they bought into our commitment to bring back the winning tradition of Redbird basketball this year.
My staff is phenomenal, said Pingeton. Willie and Randy have both been successful head coaches for a number of years and their experience is invaluable to our team. Jenny played for me (at St. Ambrose). She relates so well to our players and brings so much passion and understanding to our team. I am truly blessed to have this staff for this team.
Pingeton impressed the electorate. R.C. McBride, Illinois States award-winning play-by-play announcer, attributed Pingetons success to her powers of persuasion.
Robin got the players to believe in themselves and believe they could win, said McBride.
Veteran sports reporter Doug Hamm, who covers the Redbirds for the Pantagraph, admits he hasnt seen many coaches success stories like Pingetons first year at Illinois State.
The players have picked up on Robins enthusiasm and desire, said Hamm. Its been an unbelievable turnaround because its pretty much the same team as they had here for the past three years. But the team reflects the coaches and they play with the desire and intensity of their coaches. It has been fun to watch.
Five years after retiring as the winningest basketball coach in Redbird history, Hutchison is a Fox Sports Net basketball TV analyst, works with McBride on Redbird radio broadcasts and writes a weekly column for the Pantagraph on womens basketball.
Her style is exciting for the players, fans and coaches, said Hutchison. Players know they have the green light (to shoot). They dont have to question their shots. Robin has a unique ability to relate to student-athletes. Communication develops trust and thats been huge for her and for her team.
Her election was no surprise to Northern Iowa coach Tony DiCecco, the dean of Valley coaches who predicted Pingetons continuing success after his team played the Redbirds the first game of the Valley season in January.
First-class things happen to first-class people and Robin is a first-class person, said DiCecco, who produced the first consistent wining womens basketball teams at Northern Iowa. Shes a first-class lady with a tremendous work ethic that will benefit Illinois State for years down the road.
Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year
(Gateway Conference prior to 1993).
2004 Robin Pingeton Illinois State
2003 Jim Wiedie, Indiana State
2002 Lisa Stone, Drake
2001 Connie Yori, Creighton
2000 Darryl Smith, Wichita State
1999 Kathi Bennett, Evansville
1998 Lisa Bluder, Drake
1997 Lisa Bluder, Drake
1996 Jill Hutchison, Illinois State
1995 Lisa Bluder, Drake
1994 Cheryl Burnett, SMS
1993 Linda Hargrove, Wichita State
1992 Cheryl Burnett, SMS
1991 Cheryl Burnett, SMS
1990 Lisa Boyer, Bradley
1989 Jill Hutchison, Illinois State
1988 Andrea Myers, Indiana State
1987 Cindy Scott, Southern Illinois & Valerie Goodwin-Colbert, SMS
1986 Cindy Scott, Southern Illinois
1985 Jill Hutchison &
Melinda Fischer, Illinois State
