IU Assistant Coach Todd Starkey has accepted the head coaching position at Kent State, the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ohio, reported Monday afternoon.
Starkey’s ascent to the head coaching ranks comes after a historic season for the women’s basketball program.
The Hoosiers completed a 21-12 season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. IU’s season ended in the second round of the tournament following the program’s first NCAA win since 1983.
IU Coach Teri Moren was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in her second season at the helm. Starkey came to Bloomington with Moren and was considered to be Moren’s top assistant on the bench.
The Courier-Journal also reported Starkey was the third coach to be offered the position. Prior to his two seasons on the sidelines at Assembly Hall, Starkey was the head coach at Division I Lenoir-Ryne University in North Carolina.
He was named the Division II Coach of the Year in 2008-09. Lenoir-Ryne finished 27-5 in that season, advancing to the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Kent State finished with a 6-23 mark in 2015-16, which led to the expiration of Danny O’Banion’s contract. The Golden Flashes are expected to return all players on last season’s roster.
Starkey’s departure leaves a position to fill in on IU’s coaching staff for next season. The absence now leaves Curtis Lloyd and Rhet Wierzba as the only assistant coaches on the roster.
Teddy Bailey
