Marquette Women’s Basketball Hires Kelly Komara As Assistant Coach

Things we did not properly discuss on these internet web pages: The departure of two of Megan Duffy’s assistant coaches on the Marquette women’s basketball staff. Itoro Coleman and Tony Greene joined Duffy’s staff last offseason, replacing Vernette Skeete and Scott Merritt after both of them departed after one season for Illinois.

Let’s be honest: How much energy are we supposed to devote to the most transient of basketball employees electing to continue on about said transience? Sure, it’s a little weird that both Coleman and Greene are leaving after one year, but hey, grabbing whatever job was available during a pandemic and then moving on to a job that’s more preferable to you isn’t weird at all. If that’s what happened.

Anyway, the point of the story is that Megan Duffy needs two new assistants from what we saw with last year’s team. Well, one new assistant, as I have discovered that Kelly Komara is now suddenly listed on the MU roster page, even though the athletic department hasn’t officially announced her hiring yet. I’m going to presume that’s because Duffy is close to hiring her third assistant and Marquette is just waiting to issue one press release for both hires.

ANYWAY

Kelly Komara comes to Marquette after five seasons on the Vanderbilt sidelines, serving as Associate Head Coach for the last three campaigns. The Commodores were Komara’s fifth stop as a full fledged assistant coach after stints at Northwestern, Valparaiso, Albany and Purdue. It’s a little bit surprising that Komara moved on from the Boilermakers after two seasons, as the 1998 Miss Basketball for high school in the state of Indiana was a three-time All-Big Ten performer and the 2002 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Purdue. Oh, and Komara won a national championship with the Boilermakers in 1999 AND she set the single season record for steals with 120 in 2002. She was #12 on the all-time scoring list, #3 in career steals, and #8 in career assists when she left Purdue, as well as #5 in career three-point baskets.... although she has dropped down to #14 now, well behind fellow Purdue grad and current Golden Eagle Karissa McLaughlin, who broke the career record last season.

On top of all of that, Komara picked up a master’s degree in higher ed and sports management while serving as a grad assistant at Auburn in 2006, was drafted by the Indiana Fever in the 2002 WNBA Draft, and played professionally in the National Women’s Basketball League in the US and for Panathinaikos in Greece.

Somewhere along the way with all of that awesome basketball experience, Komara met her wife, Jenn, and the two found time to acquire two kids, as well. Busy busy!

That gives Duffy two assistants officially on the staff with Justine Raterman heading into her third season at Marquette in 2021-22. With summer recruiting season about to kick into high gear, I’m sure Duffy would like to get this squared away sooner rather than later. Heck, maybe it already mostly is and we’re just waiting on a press release and another website update.