The Kean University Department of Athletics has named Mandy King as the new head women’s basketball coach, as announced by Director of Athletics Chris Morgan in May 2012.

King, who has spent the last nine seasons at Washington and Lee University, becomes just the fifth head coach in the 38-year history of the program.

“We are thrilled to have Mandy join our staff as our new head women’s basketball coach,” said Morgan.  “She has a proven track record of success on and off the basketball court and she will be a very positive role model for our student-athletes.”

During her tenure at Washington and Lee, King qualified for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament all nine seasons and posted a 123-116 overall record as the program’s all-time leader in wins.  She mentored seven players who earned a total of 17 ODAC honors and coached one All-American, while guiding the Generals to their first ODAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2009-10. 

Academically, King’s program’s have been just as successful in the classroom, with her 2010 squad ranking 20^th among all of Division III with a 3.434 grade point average. 

King has been involved in NCAA Division III athletics for nearly her entire career.  A four-year starter at point guard as an undergraduate at University of Southern Maine, King helped lead the team to three Little East Championships and three appearances in the Sweet Sixteen.  As a senior, the Huskies advanced to the National Championship game before falling to Washington (Mo.).  Still ranked among the program leaders, King is ranked second all-time with 563 career assists and is 16^th with 1,056 career points.

King also has familiarity within the New Jersey Athletic Conference after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at The College of New Jersey.  During her time with the Lions, TCNJ captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship and appeared in the NCAA Elite Eight in 2001.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Washington and Lee, King was a two-year assistant at Division II Bloomsburg University, where the Huskies posted a 36-17 record and a pair of berths to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament in that span.  The 2001-02 squad finished the season 21-6 overall and was ranked as high as second nationally in Division II. 

Morgan added, “We are all looking forward to working with Mandy as we strive for excellence within our women’s basketball program.”

King earned her Bachelor of Science degree in sports medicine from Southern Maine in 1998 and her Master of Arts in teaching/health education from TCNJ in 2001. 

Karima McKenzie returns to the Cougar staff in her third season on the sidelines in 2012-13.

McKenzie has previously coached at both McNair and Ferris High Schools as the girl’s basketball head coach between 2005-10.  Prior to her coaching experience she was a student-athlete at The College of New Jersey from 2000-2004 and was a member of two New Jersey Athletic Conference championship squads.  During her freshman campaign, the Lions advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

During the course of the 2011-12 season, McKenzie stepped in and took over the Kean program as the interim head coach, producing a 7-3 record.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Math Education from TCNJ in 2004 and recently earned her Master of Science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2011 in Sport Management and Coaching.  McKenzie is currently a math educator in the Jersey City school district.

Brittney Powell joins the Cougar coaching staff in her first season in 2012-13. 

Powell is no stranger to the women’s basketball program after a four year career with Kean between 2007-2012.  In her time at Kean, Powell recorded 592 points along with 103 assists.  From her guard position, Powell also added 97 steals with 88 treys.

Powell graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Kean in 2012 and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in public administration.