Plitzuweit's assistant coaches

Ignatius L Hoops

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ISU North mentioned that Plitzuweit took her South Dakota staff with her to West Virginia

FWIW:

Jason Jeschke (JESS-key) enters his first season as the associate head coach for the West Virginia University women’s basketball program. He joined the Mountaineer coaching staff on April 4, 2022.

Jeschke comes to Morgantown after spending the last five seasons at South Dakota. From 2017-22, he assisted the program to a 135-27 overall record, including a 73-5 mark in the Summit League. Additionally, Jeschke helped guide USD to three regular-season championships, three conference tournament championships and four NCAA Tournament berths, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2022.

Jeschke began his time at USD as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 campaign, before being elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2018-19 season.

Working on the staff of three-time Summit League Coach of the Year Dawn Plitzuweit, Jeschke helped her become the fastest Summit League coach to reach 100 wins in just 124 games. He also was a part of a coaching staff that helped the Coyotes win 28 or more games for three consecutive seasons from 2018-20.

In 2021-22, South Dakota finished the season with a 29-6 record and won the Summit League title in the regular season and conference tournament. Following its third consecutive conference tournament title, USD earned the automatic bid for the Summit League in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 10 seed, and defeated No. 7-seeded Ole Miss, 75-61.

USD met up with No. 2-seeded Baylor in the round of 32 and defeated the Bears, 61-47, on their home court in Waco, Texas, to advance to the first Sweet 16 in program history. The Coyotes led from start to finish to snap BU’s streak of 12 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.

South Dakota concluded the 2021-22 campaign with a 52-49 loss to No. 3-seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16, in which the Coyotes were tied with the Wolverines until 22 seconds remained in the game.

While at South Dakota, Jeschke helped Plitzuweit’s teams assert themselves as the premier mid-major program in the country. USD tallied at least 28 wins in four seasons and never lost more than seven games in Jeschke’s five years with the team.

Moreover, in the history of the Summit League, only four teams have ever run the table during the regular season. Two of those three teams were Plitzuweit’s Coyotes – in 2018 and 2020. In 2020, her squad outscored league opponents by an average of 32 points per game and became the first and only program to go undefeated in the Summit League’s regular season and win the conference tournament championship.

Jeschke also helped Plitzuweit’s South Dakota teams capture the Summit League records for the most consecutive wins (20, 2017-18), most consecutive league wins (24, 2019-21), most consecutive home league wins (31, 2017-pres.), highest overall winning percentage (.938, 2019-20) and fewest losses (2, 2019-20).

During his time at South Dakota, the Coyotes made their first appearance in the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches polls, ranking as high as No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, both of which came during the 2019-20 campaign. Of note, USD’s No. 11 ranking in the Coaches Poll in 2020 is the highest national ranking earned by a team in the Summit League’s history.

South Dakota also set the Summit League records during the 2019-20 season for weeks in both polls, with 16 weeks in the Coaches Poll and 12 weeks in the AP Poll. From 2018-22, USD has received votes or been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 45 weeks.

Statistically, Jeschke was part of a coaching staff that helped South Dakota rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring margin and turnover margin from 2018-22. During that four-year stretch, the Coyotes outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game and maintained a turnover margin of 6.2 during that span.

Jeschke also recruited and coached 19 Summit League All-Conference selections in his five seasons at South Dakota, including two Players of the Year, five consecutive Defensive Players of the Year, two Newcomers of the Year and four Sixth Woman of the Year recipients.

Jeschke came to South Dakota after spending three seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. From 2014-17, the Eagles posted a 58-38 overall record and a 31-24 record in conference play. Jeschke recruited and coached 11 all-conference players and one NAIA All-American at OKWU. His 2015-16 team finished fifth nationally in scoring offense with 83.5 points per game.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Jeschke graduated from Southwestern College (Kan.) with a bachelor's in sport management in 2009. He stayed on at Southwestern after graduation to serve as an assistant women's basketball coach and sports information director while working towards his MBA, which he completed in 2013. In five years with the Southwestern women's basketball program, the team compiled a 120-39 record with four consecutive trips to the NAIA Tournament. He also served as the head coach of the junior varsity team.

Jeschke has served on the NAIA Tournament committee and the NAIA/WBCA All-America committee.

He and his wife, Courtney, have a daughter, Rylee

Aaron Horn enters his first season as an assistant coach for the West Virginia University women’s basketball program. He joined the Mountaineer coaching staff on April 4, 2022.

Horn comes to Morgantown after spending the previous six seasons at South Dakota. In his tenure at USD, the Coyotes compiled a 158-36 record, qualified for four NCAA Tournaments (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022), won three Summit League regular-season titles (2018, 2020, 2022) and captured three Summit League Tournament Championships (2020, 2021, 2022). Horn also helped guide South Dakota to an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 during the 2021-22 campaign.

Horn was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 class of 2017.

Working on the staff of three-time Summit League Coach of the Year Dawn Plitzuweit, Horn helped her become the fastest Summit League coach to reach 100 wins in just 124 games. Additionally, he was a part of four straight 20-win seasons at USD (2016-20).

In 2021-22, South Dakota finished the season with a 29-6 record and won the Summit League title in the regular season and conference tournament. Following its third consecutive conference tournament title, USD earned the automatic bid for the Summit League in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 10 seed, and defeated No. 7-seeded Ole Miss, 75-61.

USD met up with No. 2-seeded Baylor in the round of 32 and defeated the Bears, 61-47, on their home court in Waco, Texas, to advance to the first Sweet 16 in program history. The Coyotes led from start to finish to snap BU’s streak of 12 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.

South Dakota concluded the 2021-22 campaign with a 52-49 loss to No. 3-seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16, in which the Coyotes were tied with the Wolverines until 22 seconds remained in the game.

While at South Dakota, Horn helped Plitzuweit’s teams assert themselves as the premier mid-major program in the country. USD tallied at least 28 wins in four seasons and never lost more than nine games in Horn’s six years with the team.

Moreover, in the history of the Summit League, only four teams have ever run the table during the regular season. Two of those three teams were Plitzuweit’s Coyotes – in 2018 and 2020. In 2020, her squad outscored league opponents by an average of 32 points per game and became the first and only program to go undefeated in the Summit League’s regular season and win the conference tournament championship.

Horn also helped Plitzuweit’s South Dakota teams capture the Summit League records for the most consecutive wins (20, 2017-18), most consecutive league wins (24, 2019-21), most consecutive home league wins (31, 2017-pres.), highest overall winning percentage (.938, 2019-20) and fewest losses (2, 2019-20).

During his time at South Dakota, the Coyotes made their first appearance in the Associated Press (AP) and USA Today Coaches polls, ranking as high as No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, both of which came during the 2019-20 campaign. Of note, USD’s No. 11 ranking in the Coaches Poll in 2020 is the highest national ranking earned by a team in the Summit League’s history.

South Dakota also set the Summit League records during the 2019-20 season for weeks in both polls, with 16 weeks in the Coaches Poll and 12 weeks in the AP Poll. From 2018-22, USD has received votes or been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 45 weeks.

Statistically, Horn was part of a coaching staff that helped South Dakota rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring margin and turnover margin from 2018-22. During that four-year stretch, the Coyotes outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game and maintained a turnover margin of 6.2 during that span.

Horn has coached 11 All-Summit League players, a pair of Summit League Players of the Year in Ciara Duffy (2020) and Chloe Lamb (2022). Other all-league players include three-time first-team pick Allison Arens, three-time first-team pick Hannah Sjerven, three-time pick Liv Korngable and two-time pick Jasmine Trimboli. With defense a point of emphasis in the program, South Dakota picked up five straight Summit League Defensive Player of the Year nods from 2018-22, including Trimboli (2018), Arens (2019) and Sjerven (2020, 2021, 2022). The Coyotes also led the league in scoring defense each season during that five-year stretch.

Prior to his time in Vermillion, South Dakota, Horn spent three seasons (2013-16) at Ursuline College (Ohio). The Arrows won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament to reach the 2016 NCAA Division II Tournament. Horn coached the guards, worked on player development, recruited back-to-back GMAC Freshman of the Year award winners, scouted opponents, organized travel, monitored academics and coordinated the team’s community outreach.

Horn also brings coaching experience from the AAU level. He spent four years as the head coach for the Toledo Elite AAU Club and two years at the helm of the Cleveland Wolverines AAU Club. Horn led the Wolverines to two undefeated regular seasons and helped four players earn scholarships.

Horn also has spent time during the summers as a coach/counselor at the University of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball camp, as well as working camps at Toledo and St. Francis High School.

Horn earned his bachelor’s of business administration from Toledo in 2012.


Ariel Braker enters her first season as an assistant coach for the West Virginia University women’s basketball program. She joined the Mountaineers’ coaching staff on April 4, 2022.

Braker comes to Morgantown after spending the 2021-22 season at South Dakota, where she served as an assistant coach and the Coyotes’ recruiting coordinator.

In 2021-22, South Dakota finished the season with a 29-6 record and won the Summit League title in the regular season and conference tournament. Following its third consecutive conference tournament title, USD earned the automatic bid for the Summit League in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 10 seed, and defeated No. 7-seeded Ole Miss, 75-61.

USD met up with No. 2-seeded Baylor in the round of 32 and defeated the Bears, 61-47, on their home court in Waco, Texas, to advance to the first Sweet 16 in program history. The Coyotes led from start to finish to snap BU’s streak of 12 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.

South Dakota concluded the 2021-22 campaign with a 52-49 loss to No. 3-seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16, in which the Coyotes were tied with the Wolverines until 22 seconds remained in the game

Braker’s coaching career also includes stints at Oakland (2019-21), Lehigh (2017-19), Western Texas (2016-17), Grosse Point North (HS) and Wayne State (Mich.). She has experience with player development of post players, recruiting, scouting, game strategy, scheduling and mentoring student-athletes.

Braker was a two-year starter and three-time captain during her four-year career at Notre Dame (2010-14) under Naismith Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw. She was a member of the winningest class in program history, with a 138-15 overall record, four Final Four berths and three National Championship appearances.

A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, Braker graduated from Notre Dame in 2014 with a bachelor of arts in industrial design. She earned her master’s degree in sports administration from Wayne State in 2015.
 

I’m guessing Madison Mckeever comes over from St. Thomas to take over director of operations. Played for her at USD.
 


New Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit was asked about the staff she would be assembling. She was noncommittal, saying only she was working hard on the process

Her agreement with the University of Minnesota allows for an assistant coaching salary pool of $525,000.
 




Any update on Gophers assistant coaches and staff?
I wonder if jobs at the U must be posted for a week (or some other time minimum) before someone can be hired. She may know who those assistants are already, but can't formalize that until the waiting period is over.
 

There are assistant coach job openings on U of M jobs site. I could not link to them, however. I do think there is a time frame they need to remain open - perhaps 1 week or 10 days.....
 

There are assistant coach job openings on U of M jobs site. I could not link to them, however. I do think there is a time frame they need to remain open - perhaps 1 week or 10 days.....
According to their FAQs:

Faculty and staff positions are posted for at least seven calendar days; however, some positions may be posted longer. Student jobs are typically posted for two weeks to a month. Graduate assistant positions are typically posted for two weeks. Student and graduate assistant positions may be re-posted.

If a position that was previously posted does not appear online it means applications are no longer being accepted for that position. Submit your materials as soon as possible to ensure consideration.
 

There are assistant coach job openings on U of M jobs site. I could not link to them, however. I do think there is a time frame they need to remain open - perhaps 1 week or 10 days.....
So you won’t be applying?
 



There are assistant coach job openings on U of M jobs site. I could not link to them, however. I do think there is a time frame they need to remain open - perhaps 1 week or 10 days.....
This is definitely just due to hiring protocols--I bet they've already have verbal agreements/offers on the table.
 

This is definitely just due to hiring protocols--I bet they've already have verbal agreements/offers on the table.
It will be surprising if it is not 2 or 3 of the West Virginia assistant coaches, I would think?
 

Justin Gaard in a podcast said he's heard of some exciting names but nothing confirmed. I would think the people that followed to West Virginia would be interested in coming back this way, but looking at their resumes, they seem to be diverse in where they have been.

JASON JESCHKE: States of South Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Native of Texas
AARON HORN: States of South Dakota and extensive AAU connections in Ohio. (30 under 30 Award)
ARIEL BRAKER: Played at Notre Dame, Coached in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania,
 

Justin Gaard in a podcast said he's heard of some exciting names but nothing confirmed. I would think the people that followed to West Virginia would be interested in coming back this way, but looking at their resumes, they seem to be diverse in where they have been.

JASON JESCHKE: States of South Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Native of Texas
AARON HORN: States of South Dakota and extensive AAU connections in Ohio. (30 under 30 Award)
ARIEL BRAKER: Played at Notre Dame, Coached in Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania,
I noticed that Jason Jeschke is no longer listed under the WVA coaching tree whereas the
the other two asst coaches are listed. Assume that means he is coming to Minnesota.
 



I noticed that Jason Jeschke is no longer listed under the WVA coaching tree whereas the
the other two asst coaches are listed. Assume that means he is coming to Minnesota.


Nice find. Yea, the profile link is gone. That makes sense. He's her associate coach, the #2 in charge.


 



Aaron will be lead recruiter on the staff. Hearing that Ariel Barker is set to follow as well. The third assistant Jason Jeschke I'm hearing is considering trying to get a head coaching job at a smaller D1/Mid Major program but if not he will be following as well. 50/50 shot he comes up too.

Would expect announcements this week on at least Horn and Braker.
 

My guess is that this highly successful staff is staying together.
 




This is the old South Dakota coaches not sure why they went to WV but this a good spot being in the big ten they will do well
 



Jason is a good golfer, too.
You may not have been around long enough, but back in the day we had a men's assistant coach who was best known for being a good golfer. Pretty sure he wasn't that great a coach. Let's hope history doesn't repeat.:)
 

You may not have been around long enough, but back in the day we had a men's assistant coach who was best known for being a good golfer. Pretty sure he wasn't that great a coach. Let's hope history doesn't repeat.:)
😂
 


Great decisions. Outstanding continuity. They won't be starting from scratch.

I feel sorry for West Virginia. They are really starting over and getting a late start.

Memo to Coach P.: Do not schedule West Virginia.
My wife and I were talking about this. Both of us feel sorry for what just happened to them, but like I said to her, that's life in the big city. Same thing happened here when we got Brenda-ed.
 


My wife and I were talking about this. Both of us feel sorry for what just happened to them, but like I said to her, that's life in the big city. Same thing happened here when we got Brenda-ed.
same thing happen when she left South Dakota always hard feelings
 




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