Oklahoma hires Drake's Baranczyk as new women's hoops coach

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma has hired Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk as its next women's basketball coach.

Oklahoma made the announcement in a news release on Saturday. Baranczyk replaces Sherri Coale, who retired last month after 25 years of leading the program.

Baranczyk coached Drake the past nine seasons. She had a 192-96 overall record and led the Bulldogs to NCAA tournament berths in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year had a .667 winning percentage, fifth best in league history.

'œHer track record of overseeing creative and effective offenses, and producing high win totals, conference championships and postseason appearances during her time at Drake certainly appealed to our search committee as it evaluated the very competitive candidate pool," Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. 'œBut her mastery of the head coaching role extends far beyond the court, and it's clear that her personal and professional values align with ours.'ť

This season, Drake led the nation in assists per game (20.4), ranked sixth in the country in field goal percentage (48.1%), 22nd in scoring offense (76.4 ppg) and 24th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.4%). The Bulldogs finished 18-12 overall and in second place in league play with a 13-5 record.

Under Baranczyk, Drake spent multiple weeks ranked in the AP Top 25 poll in 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. In November 2018, the Bulldogs climbed as high as No. 24 to earn the program's highest ranking since 2001.

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