Becky Burke’s inaugural roster at Arizona appears to be complete, if not nearly complete. It appears the same can now be said for her first staff in Tucson. On Tuesday, Arizona added assistant coach Jenna Knudson as the fourth coach to the staff.
Knudson comes to Tucson after spending the last two seasons at Drury University, a Division II university in Springfield, Missouri. During that time, she helped lead the Lady Panthers to a 47-14 record, including a 22-7 record last season. Knudson helped lead Drury to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) semifinals, with four players earning All-GLVC honors.
“Jenna is one of the best young coaches in the game and we are thrilled that she has joined us here at Arizona,” said Burke in a release on Tuesday. “She’s a tireless worker that builds great relationships with everyone she comes in contact with on and off the floor. Jenna’s energy and passion is contagious and will positively impact our program in many ways.”
Prior to her time with the Lady Panthers, Knudson spent four seasons at Quincy University, a Division II program located in Illinois, and fellow GLVC program. She began as a graduate assistant before spending two years as an assistant coach.
Knudson and Burke go back a decade, when Jenna was a player at Embry Riddle. She was a three-time All-California Pacific Conference selection and set a program record for steals. As a senior, she ranked eighth nationally in the NAIA in steals (3.1 per game) and was second in the conference in assists (3.7 per game).
Jenna Knudson joins Ashely Odom, Julie Brase-Hairgrove, and James Ewing as the fourth assistant coach added to the Arizona coaching staff. Michelle Marciniak has also been named as the program’s first general manager.