UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced the addition of Aaron Kallhoff to her coaching staff ahead of the 2021-22 season. Kallhoff comes to Happy Valley after three years as an assistant coach at LSU.
Kallhoff owns 18 years of college coaching experience, including the last six years with Power Five programs and the last eight years in Division I.
"We are thrilled to announce the addition of Aaron to our coaching staff," said Kieger. "We are equally excited to welcome his wife, Josie, and their three kids, Camden, Caylix and Capri, to our Penn State family. Aaron will bring a wealth of experience to our staff and his electrifying energy will immediately help elevate our program. He has coached and succeeded at nearly every level. He is a tireless worker who always keep relationships as his top priority. His mission to help young women reach their full potential is why I know he is the perfect fit. Please help me in welcoming Aaron and his family into our Lion PRIDE!"
"My family and I are very excited to join the Penn State family," said Kallhoff. "I look forward to working with Coach Kieger on the rise of the program. We are going to build something special."
In his three seasons at LSU, Kallhoff played an instrumental role in bringing highly-ranked national and international players to Baton Rouge, including a Top 20 recruiting class in 2019. He helped guide the Tigers to a 20-win season in 2019-20 as LSU was primed for an NCAA Tournament berth before the cancellation of the postseason tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kallhoff primarily worked with the LSU post players, developing Faustine Aifuwa and Ayana Mitchell into two of the top all-around players in the SEC. Mitchell was a two-time All-SEC performer, while Aifuwa was named to the 2020 SEC All-Defensive Team.
Prior to his time at LSU, Kallhoff spend three seasons as an assistant coach at TCU, helping the Horned Frogs advance to postseason play in two of his three seasons on staff. He was responsible for post play at TCU as well, mentoring All-Big 12 selections Jordan Moore and Amy Okonkwo.
Kallhoff spent two seasons on the staff at Arkansas State from 2013-15 where he helped lead the Red Wolves to 46 wins, including their first postseason victory since 2007. Arkansas State tallied a second-most wins in program history during the 2014-15 season with 24 and went a combined 30-8 in Sun Belt Conference play over his two years. He helped guide Audrea Gamble to back-to-back Sun Belt Player of the Year awards.
The Norfolk, Nebraska, native went to Arkansas State after spending a season as assistant coach at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, where he helped lead the Lady Cardinals to a 36-1 record and their seventh NJCAA National Championship.
Prior to his time at Trinity Valley, Kallhoff spent four years as head coach at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. He was named the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year in his final season at Hill, leading the Lady Rebels to a 27-5 record, a share of the league title and a berth in the Region V semifinals.
Kallhoff also was tabbed as one of the nation's top and upcoming junior college coaches by Women's Basketball Insider. During his tenure at Hill, Kallhoff coached three All-Americans, four All-Region V selections, 16 NTJCAC All-Conference selections, one NTJCAC Player of the Year, two NTJCAC Defensive Players of the Year and one NTJCAC Freshman of the Year. His teams also received national academic honors on three separate occasions.
He spent one season serving as the head women's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Allen County Community College in Iola, Kansas, where the Red Devils achieved a 3.1 overall team grade point average.
Kallhoff began his collegiate playing career at Iowa Central Community College where he led the NJCAA Division II Iowa Region in three-point field goal percentage. In 2000, he earned All-Region IX athletic and academic honors at Northeast Nebraska Community College after averaging 14 points per game. He completed his playing career at Bemidji State where he was a two-year starter, and in his senior season led NCAA Division II in assist/turnover ratio.
In 2003, Kallhoff graduated from Bemidji State with a bachelor's degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations, advertising and electronic media. While at Bemidji State, he represented the University as a chairman for Special Olympics and the United Way Foundation, and was involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Kallhoff and his wife, Josie, have three children, Camden, Caylix and Capri.
