FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (June 27, 2022) – After four seasons with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, assistant coach
Jenny Thigpin will depart the program for the head coaching position at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif.
During Thigpin's time in Flagstaff, the Lumberjacks improved their season win total from 13 in 2018-19 to 17 this past season. The 17 victories is the most for Northern Arizona since the 2006-07, with the program reaching the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in 15 years as well.
With a 17-14 record this past season, Northern Arizona finished above .500 for a third consecutive year for the first time since its run of success in the mid-2000s. With 34 Big Sky victories over the past three seasons, the Lumberjacks set a program record for conference victories in a three-year span.
Thigpin's tenure in Flagstaff also included assisting in the development of
Khiarica Rasheed, who finished her Lumberjack career with a program record 929 rebounds and the second-most points score, 1,746, among many other accomplishments during her five-year career. Rasheed earned three All-Big Sky Conference honors during her career in addition to being the Big Sky Preseason MVP ahead of the 2020-21 season, earning a spot on the Big Sky All-Tournament Team in 2022 and landing on the 2021 WBI All-Tournament Team in 2021.
Since joining the Lumberjacks' staff in May 2018 after two seasons at Boston University, Thigpin's work with the team's defense helped the team move up more than 155 spots in the national rankings from 2018-19 to 2021-22. After forcing 13.32 turnovers per game during her first season, Northern Arizona steadily progressed to 15.77 this past season and ranked fifth in the Big Sky.
Thigpin takes over a Cal State East Bay program coming off a CCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2021-22 and hosted the NCAA Division II West Regional. The Pioneers finished at No. 14 in the D2SIDA Poll and No. 16 in the WBCA Coaches Poll.
