Coaching Staff Kevin Chaney Assistant Coach  Kevin Chaney enters his first season with the SIUE women's basketball program as an assistant coach. As SIUE continues to reclassify to NCAA Division I status, Coach Chaney's 14 years of collegiate experience will be a welcome addition to the program. Chaney comes to SIUE from the University of Minnesota Duluth where he was the assistant coach for the 2007-2008 season. While at UMD, Chaney served as the recruiting coordinator and team camp director. Coach Levens said Chaney also will assume the role of recruiting coordinator for the Cougars. Prior to UMD, Chaney was the men's basketball assistant at Lincoln (Mo.) University for the 2006-2007 season. At Lincoln, Chaney served as the program's recruiting coordinator. In this role, he developed and implemented a new scouting and recruiting database. Chaney also spent 2003 through 2006 as the assistant coach for the University of Nevada-Reno. He served as the program's recruiting and fundraising coordinator. In these roles, he created a new recruiting database and developed fundraisers for the program. From 1994-2003, he served as the first assistant women's basketball coach for Solano Community College in Fairfield, California. While at SCC, he helped guide the program to five Bay Valley East conference championships and three California state Elite Eight appearances. He is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and the Black Coaches Association (BCA). Chaney holds a bachelor's degree in recreation administration from San Diego State University. ____________________________________________________ Laura Gonsalves Assistant Coach  Laura Gonsalves joins the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville women's basketball program as an assistant coach, announced head coach Amanda Levens. Coach Gonsalves comes to SIUE's program at an important time in its history. SIUE is continuing its reclassification into NCAA Division I play. SIUE also has gained membership into the Ohio Valley Conference, which announced the Cougars will begin scheduling league members over the next few years. Gonsalves comes to SIUE from the University of Alaska Fairbanks where she served as the assistant coach for the 2007-2008 season. While at UAF, Gonsalves helped coach the No. 2 scorer in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Before UAF, Gonsalves served as the associate head coach at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo. During the 2006-2007 season, Gonsalves helped the Mountaineers to a 15-13 record, which included a 13-6 record in conference action. She also spent two seasons as an assistant at Southern Utah University, where she was responsible for recruiting and post player development. Prior to coaching, Gonsalves gained a broad international playing experience. From 1996-2003, she played for teams in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, China, Switzerland, and China. Gonsalves claimed Most Valuable Player honors twice in China National Cup tournaments, in a country where she was one of the first Americans to play basketball as a professional. From 1991 to 1995, she was a four-year starter at the University of Washington. During her collegiate career, the Huskies advanced the NCAA tournament three times and won the inaugural WNIT Pre-Season Tournament in 1994. Gonsalves holds a bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Washington. ____________________________________________________ Rebecca Little Graduate Assistant Coach  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville head coach Amanda Levens announced the appointment of Rebecca Little as a graduate assistant coach for the women's basketball program. Little comes to SIUE at an exciting time in its history. SIUE is in the process of reclassifying to NCAA Division I status. Little, who graduated from Natomas High School in Sacramento, Calif., attended the University of Nevada, Reno after being heavily recruited. In 2003, the Nevada coaching staff changed, and Levens was hired on as an assistant coach. After a hot summer day of preseason conditioning, Little's life changed she started to "feel a little funny." After visiting an athletic trainer, she was directed to a cardiologist, who told her that the "funny feeling" was her heart fluttering and that she had developed a genetic heart condition called Ventricular Tachycardia. Simply put, her heart beats faster than normal. After multiple surgeries to correct her heart condition, nothing seemed to work. At age 17, Little realized her basketball career was over. Little continued to earn a scholarship at Nevada as a student assistant coach. She worked closely with Levens for three years, helping with film exchange, working with the recruiting database and performing managerial duties. After leaving Nevada, Little worked as a videojournalist and editor for KRNV News 4 in Reno, Nev., and a general assignment reporter for KEZI 9 News in Roseburg, Ore. She returned to coaching after learning of a graduate assistant opening at SIUE. Little graduated in three and one-half years from Nevada, earning a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism in 2006. She will be pursuing a master's degree in sports management at SIUE.  |
