Gfeller chosen for WBCA coaching program

Montana's Carmen Gfeller has been selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to participate in the organization's "So You Want to Be a Coach" program.

Gfeller was one of 55 chosen from all levels of college basketball to be invited to travel to Cleveland in early April for the WBCA Convention, which takes place in conjunction with the women's Final Four.

Program participants learn about the administrative side of coaching, recruiting, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules and how to balance work and life.

This is the 21st time the WBCA has hosted the program at its convention.

"This is an awesome program to get connections and also to see all the ins and outs of what coaching is about," said Brian Holsinger, who has coached Gfeller the last three seasons.

"It's not an easy thing to get chosen. It's a pretty big deal to be selected."

Gfeller becomes Montana's third player to be selected over the last six years. Jace Henderson was in the 2019 class, McKenzie Johnston was in the 2020 class that never got to travel to New Orleans (COVID).

Henderson is now the Director of Player Personnel, Development and Influence at Nebraska. Johnston is playing professionally for the Leicester Riders in the British WBBL.

Gfeller arrived in Missoula as a freshman in the summer of 2018 with the plan of becoming a school teacher. "Coaching wasn't something I thought much about or put much consideration into," she said.

She played as a true freshman, redshirted in 2019-20 and has been an All-Big Sky Conference selection each of the last three years. She ranks fourth in program history with 1,488 career points.

"The last couple years especially, I've enjoyed learning more about the game. My love for the game has grown more and more each year. Coaching seems like a good way to stay in it," she said.

Before Cleveland, before she looks at coaching, Gfeller has a decorated Lady Griz career to close out in the coming weeks. Her sixth and final Montana team is 15-6 and in the hunt for the program's first Big Sky regular-season title since 2014-15.

Then she'd like to follow in the footsteps of Johnston and former teammates Abby Anderson (Spain), Sammy Fatkin (Germany), Katerina Tsineke (Portugal) and Lamprini Polymeni (Greece), each of whom is playing or played professionally overseas.

"I would love to play overseas. I've had some teammates who have had some fun careers overseas, so I would like to try my hand in that," said Gfeller, who will then look to break into the college game.

"I like how competitive it is, how the athletes are more mature. Everybody who is competing in college is generally there for the right reasons. That's pretty appealing."

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Sammy Fatkin

Carmen Gfeller

Katerina Tsineke

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