COACHING NEWS: WashU's Randi Henderson will join Iowa's coaching staff

Henderson led WashU for the last seven years, guided the Bears to each of the last two NCAA Tournaments

Photo of Randi Henderson courtesy of WashU Athletics

In what has been an eventful offseason when it comes to the coaching carousel, yet another Division III head coach is heading to the Division I ranks. 

WashU head coach Randi Henderson is set to leave St. Louis after seven years, and is heading north to Iowa City, where she will be an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes are coming off back-to-back national championship game appearances, and will be under the direction of first-year head coach Jan Jensen, a longtime assistant on the staff who was promoted to head coach upon Lisa Bluder’s retirement on May 13. 

Meanwhile, Henderson’s departure means a total of four UAA women’s basketball programs will have new head coaches in the 2024-25 season, including both of the conference’s Midwest programs. UChicago opened on May 16 with Maria Williamson’s departure to Trinity College (CT) and now WashU will also be open. Additionally, Brandeis hired Babson assistant Julie Prichett yesterday and Carnegie Mellon hired Kathy McConnell-Miller on May 14. 

"We are appreciative of Randi Henderson leading our program for the last seven seasons, adding to the legacy of WashU Women's basketball," WashU Director of Athletics and Associate Vice Chancellor Anthony J. Azama said in a WashU press release on Wednesday. "She established a culture of excellence, inclusivity and empowerment while simultaneously impacting lives beyond the sport of basketball."

Henderson graduated from Iowa in 2001 as a three-year starter. Her senior year coincided with Bluder’s first season as Iowa’s head coach, with Jensen on staff as the associate head coach. The connections are there, as it gives Henderson a chance to return to her home state and reunite with a former coach, as well as move back up to the D-I level. Prior to WashU, Henderson was part of the staff at Charlotte for two years. 

She has extensive D-III coaching experience, as well, with WashU being the third head coaching job of her career. Henderson led Minnesota-Morris during the 2005-06 season, before taking over at Coe from 2006-2015. In that span, she took a team that was 8-18 in 2006-07 to an NCAA Tournament sectional by 2011, and posted three 20-win seasons. 

At WashU, Henderson helped put the Bears near the top of the UAA in multiple seasons, reaching four NCAA Tournaments in just six opportunities. She led WashU to a UAA title in 2018-19—the same year the Bears finished as sectional finalists—and won 103 games during her time at the helm. Henderson’s 100th win at WashU came in a Feb. 9 road win at No. 19 Emory this past season. 

This is a significant coaching development, as WashU has all the makings of a national contender heading into 2024-25. With four returning starters, including Lexi Harris, the 2024 D3hoops.com Region 8 Rookie of the Year, the future is bright for this program, though the coaching change definitely adds another element to things. 

WashU becomes the sixth program heading into 2024-25 that both made the 2024 NCAA Tournament and will be led by a new head coach. The others being: Millikin, St. John Fisher, Trinity (CT), Transylvania, and Washington & Lee. It’s notable that of those other five, three of the previous head coaches moved up at least one level, with Millikin’s Olivia Lett taking over at D2 UIS, Trinity’s Emily Garner being named head coach at Cornell, and Transylvania’s Juli Fulks taking the head coaching job at Marshall. Additionally, five different D-III head coaches have taken Division I jobs this offseason, with Schreiner’s Stacy Stephens (assistant at UMKC), and Edgewood’s Chaia Huff (assistant at Marquette) joining Fulks, Garner, and now, Henderson. 

As for the entirety of the coaching carousel, I have 48 departures from head coaches this offseason, with 20 of those programs having not yet announced their next head coach. Both the Wooster and WashU jobs came open within the last week. I’ll have more updates here as more hirings are announced.