UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced three additions to her staff for the 2019-20 season. Assistant Coach Ginny Boggess, Director of Operations Pam Brown and Director of Program Development MaryLynne Schaefer will all come to Happy Valley after previously serving on Kieger's staff at Marquette.
Boggess, Brown and Schaefer will comprise the first part of Kieger's staff, with other additions to follow in the coming weeks.
Ginny Boggess – Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
Boggess brings 16 years of collegiate coaching experience to Happy Valley and comes to Penn State after five seasons as an assistant coach and the primary recruiting coordinator under Kieger at Marquette.
"I am thrilled to continue to work along side Ginny," Kieger said. "She is a tremendous recruiter who has demonstrated a commitment to forging strong relationships. She is exactly what we need as we search for the future of Penn State Women's Basketball.
"Her work ethic, values and desire for greatness are elite," Kieger continued. "I know the entire Penn State community will love her energy and passion. She did an amazing job with our players at Marquette both on and off the floor. I know she will continue to give everything she has for our program and players. We are lucky to have her in our Lady Lion family."
Boggess and her recruiting prowess were a key factor in Marquette's success that led to the Golden Eagles earning NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last three seasons. Boggess helped guide the Golden Eagles to sparkling 76-26 mark (43-11 in Big East), which included a pair of Big East regular-season championships and a Big East Tournament Championship in the last three seasons. Marquette made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in 20 years, advancing to the round of 32 the past two seasons.
Boggess recruited the duo of Allazia Blockton and Natisha Hiedeman in Kieger's first recruiting class with the Golden Eagles, who went on to earn Big East Player of the Year laurels in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Blockton graduates as the all-time leading scorer in men's and women's basketball history at Marquette and earned back-to-back Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year honors in 2018 and 2019. Hiedeman was selected as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
Boggess was responsible for the development of perimeter players while at Marquette. The recruiting class that included Blockton and Hiedeman scored more than 8,000 combined points throughout their careers and included five 1,000-point scorers. She also mentored and developed McKayla Yentz, the 2016 Big East Most Improved Player. The final class that Boggess helped recruit to Marquette was ranked No. 13 in the nation by Blue Star Basketball.
Prior to her time under Kieger at Marquette, Boggess had a stint at Columbia University where she shared recruitment responsibilities and had a focus on post player skill progression and development. She signed Chamille Zimmerman who went on to become Columbia's all-time leading scorer. Boggess also helped monitor student-athletes' academic progress and was the strength and conditioning contact.
Prior to Columbia, Boggess spent five seasons as the assistant coach and co-recruiting coordinator at Jacksonville University. She focused on post player development and coordinated the 2010 and 2012 recruiting classes for the Dolphins. Boggess recruited and developed the 2013 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in Queen Alford and the 2012 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year in Crystal Bell. She was also responsible for the recruitment of Sherranda Reddick who would later become Jacksonville's all-time leading scorer.
Boggess spent two seasons as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Hofstra University before heading south to Jacksonville. With the Pride, Boggess helped guide the squad to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament each season, including a school-best 26-8 overall record and a spot in the WNIT Quarterfinals in 2006-07.
A native of Hamlin, W. Va., Boggess began her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kennesaw State. After one year as a GA, she was promoted to an assistant coach, working primarily with perimeter players.
As a 2003 graduate of Wingate University, Boggess was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs, averaging 10 points and five rebounds during her career. She earned South Atlantic Conference awards, both on and off the court. Boggess was selected to the All-Rookie team as a freshman and earned a spot on the conference's academic honor roll all four years. During her sophomore campaign, Wingate received a bid to the 2001 NCAA Division II Tournament.
Pam Brown – Director Of Operations
Brown comes to Penn State after spending the last four years as the Director of Basketball Operations at Marquette under head coach Carolyn Kieger. While at Marquette, Brown was responsible for managing the scheduling and equipment for the program, overseeing the video coordinator and serving as the scouting coordinator. She also served as statistical analyst for Marquette and oversaw the managers and practice players. Brown was also the Marquette Women's Basketball Camp Director.
"Pam brings a great amount of experience to our staff," Kieger said. "She has played, coached and now done administrative work at a high level, and we are excited to have her on board with our program. She is a tireless worker who is the ultimate team player.
"Pam is organized, professional, and loves to help our players succeed," Kieger continued. "Pam was an integral part of our success at Marquette and I'm thankful she is here to help elevate Penn State Women's Basketball."
Brown was an assistant coach at Stetson for three seasons prior to joining Kieger's staff at Marquette. While with the Hatters, Brown worked primarily with the post players and mentored Amber Porter to Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-Conference honors. Brown helped Stetson post its fifth-straight 20-plus win season in 2014-15.
Prior to her arrival at Stetson, Brown served as a graduate assistant at the University of North Texas where she was pursuing a master's degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies. She also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Winthrop University and two seasons as Coordinator of Basketball Operations for women's basketball at the University of Miami (FL).
The Coppell, Texas, native enjoyed a four-year career with the Charlotte 49ers basketball team where she was a two-year starter and an All-Atlantic 10 performer. Averaging better than 10 points per game in all four seasons, Brown finished her career with 1,443 points, 627 rebounds, and 114 assists. Brown was named to the first team All-Atlantic 10 squad as a senior following a season in which she averaged 12.9 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor. During her tenure at Charlotte, she helped guide the 49ers to two league titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003. The program also made three straight WNIT appearances from 2004-06.
A member of the Dean's List, Brown graduated from Charlotte in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics.
In 2006-07, Brown played for the Celeritudo Tigers in Groningen, Holland, where she averaged 17.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. She shot 56 percent from the field, ranked third in the league in blocks, and was named to the league's All-Star Team.
MaryLynne Schaefer – Director of Program Development
MaryLynne Schaefer comes to Penn State after serving one year on Kieger's staff at Marquette as the Director of Player Development. She also worked under Kieger as a graduate assistant for the Golden Eagles during the 2014-15 season.
"MaryLynne is an extremely hard-working teammate who is always looking for ways to improve our program," Kieger said. "She is passionate about helping others and is always there making sure our players are taken care of. She wants nothing but the best for everyone and gives her all day-in and day-out. Her commitment to the community, alumni and current players is inspiring."
In between her stints at Marquette, Schaefer spent three seasons as an assistant coach at North Florida where she worked with the Osprey guards. Schaefer helped guide back-to-back All-Conference Freshman Team members Adrienne Jackson and Tiffany Tolbert. She also managed equipment, video and scouting, recruiting and was responsible for the team managers and practice squad while at North Florida.
While a GA at Marquette in 2014-15, Schaefer assisted in game and practice preparation and scouting various non-conference and Big East opponents. She also coordinated and coached Marquette's male practice squad, while supervising the team's managers.
Prior to Marquette, Schaefer worked at Miami for three seasons. Schaefer was a graduate student worker in her first season with the Hurricanes before becoming the team's video coordinator in July 2012.
The school record holder for career three-pointers, Schaefer was a three-year starter at Hartford from 2005-09 and was part of three America East Regular Season Championships and two American East Tournament Championship teams. She helped the Hawks to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Second Round showing in both the 2006 and 2008 Tournament. Additionally, she played in three WNITs, one preseason and two postseason. She finished her career with 222 treys, a school-record mark that was tied during the 2014-15 season by Amber Bepko.
Schaefer played overseas in Germany for two seasons following her collegiate career at Hartford. She helped her team to a league championship in her first season and a runner-up finish in her second season. Schaefer led all three divisions in Germany in three-point field goals made in both of her years. She also led the Second Division in steals in 2011.
Schaefer graduated from Hartford in May 2009 with a bachelor's degree in interactive information technology. She completed her master's degree in sport leadership from Marquette in December of 2017.
