Jim Flanery Named Head Women's Basketball Coach
7/19/2002 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 19, 2002
Listen To Flanery's Press Conference
OMAHA, Neb. - Creighton University Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen announced Friday night the hiring of Jim Flanery as head women's basketball coach. Flanery takes on his first head coaching position after serving as a Bluejay assistant for the past 10 seasons.
"Jim Flanery has been involved with Creighton University for nearly 20 years as a student, a volunteer assistant and assistant coach and has represented himself, the program and the University extremely well," Rasmussen said. "We had a national search and looked closely at every candidate for this position. Jim was the unanimous choice by the search committee as the best option to lead the Creighton women's basketball program.
"I am confident that Jim will continue to lead our program to be competitive at the national level. I am excited to introduce Jim Flanery as the head women's basketball coach at Creighton University."
Flanery is no stranger to Creighton basketball, as he enters his 14th season with the Bluejay women's basketball program, serving as a graduate assistant under Rasmussen (1987-90) and as Connie Yori's top assistant since the 1992-93 season. A 1987 Creighton graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy, Flanery was also a member of the men's basketball team from 1985 to 1987.
"I would like to thank Father Schlegel, Vice President John Cernech, Bruce Rasmussen and the committee members for this opportunity," Flanery said. "I also want to thank the current and former players for all of the support I have felt in the last month.
"Obviously it's a thrill to be named head coach, but it becomes more of a thrill to coach at my alma mater. It's exciting to be given this opportunity with the tenure I have here, so there's a natural tendency to feel a little more exhilaration. Add in the fact we have a good veteran team returning and it becomes really difficult not to smile."
The Jays have compiled a 170-115 record in Flanery's time on the sidelines. They have made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and earned one invite to the WNIT over the past decade. Last season, Flanery helped guide the Jays to their first ever Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championships and their first NCAA Tourney since the 1993-94 season.
Flanery inherits one of the most successful teams in the history of CU basketball. After being picked to finish sixth in the MVC in 2001-02, Flanery helped guide the Jays to their first 20 win season since the 1993-94 team went 24-7. Last year's team equaled the 24-7 mark, while establishing a school record for conference wins in a season with 16. The Jays won their first ever MVC crown with a 16-2 mark in conference play and swept through the Valley tournament. The Jays lost two starters from the 2001-02 squad, but return 12 of 15 players along with an impressive freshman class.
The 2001-02 squad was led by sophomore and MVC Most Valuable Player, Christy Neneman. Neneman guided the Jays to a 10-game winning streak from Jan. 14 through Feb. 17 to equal the longest streak in 10 years. All-conference performers Dayna Finch and Laura Spanheimer helped the Jays also set a school and conference record with 249 three-pointers made, finishing fifth in the NCAA with eight treys per game. CU concluded its 2001-02 season with a loss to No. 23 Florida International in the first round of the NCAA tournament in State College, Pa.
"Things are in place for our program to be really solid for the next several years and we owe a lot of that to Connie (Yori)," Flanery said, commenting on the future of CU women's hoops. "I'm excited not only about the quality of players we have, but also with the type of people we have on this team. I will look to improve on the recent basketball success here."
The 37-year-old Guthrie Center, Iowa, native has been serving as the interim head coach since Connie Yori resigned on June 24. Flanery was Yori's top assistant for her entire 10-year Bluejay tenure. He came to Creighton from Loras College (Iowa), where he also served as an assistant on Yori's staff for two seasons.
"I owe Connie a lot for the opportunities she gave me to work for her," Flanery said about his longtime coaching partner. "I appreciate the responsibility she gave me, along with her willingness to allow my input into the program. Connie was a great ambassador for Creighton as a player and a coach and she left a mark that few people will be able to leave in her roles at Creighton. I like to think I learned a lot from her and became a better coach."
During his tenure as an assistant at Creighton, the Jays have produced 20 all-Missouri Valley Conference athletes, including two Most Valuable Players - Carrie Welle (1997) and Neneman (2002). The Jays have also produced two freshmen of the year, two newcomers of the year and one defensive player of the year over the last decade. Flanery has been directly involved with the players' academic progression as well. Eight first-team scholar athletes have played under Flanery and last season's squad notched a combined grade point average of 3.54.
While serving as CU's top assistant, he played an active role in all aspects of the Bluejay women's basketball program, including recruiting, scheduling and coordinating travel arrangements and summer team camps. On the court, Flanery has worked primarily with the back court.
Flanery starred on the basketball, baseball and golf teams at Guthrie Center High School from 1979 to 1983. Along with being a member of the men's basketball team at Creighton, Flanery was also a member of the Creighton golf team throughout his four-year collegiate career. He is single and resides in Omaha.
