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 Last Updated: Saturday, August 20, 2005 |
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Last Updated: Saturday, August 20, 2005 |
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The Record |
vs. The RMAC |
The Milestones |
There are few coaches, at any level, who have had as much success as Nebraska-Kearney’s Amy Stephens.
Through the 2000-01 season, Stephens has a 174-36 record. In the
RMAC, regular season and tournament games, the numbers are even better;
117-13 for a 90 percent winning percentage.
On December 17, 2000, Stephens became the winningest coach in
school history with a 90-47 win over Fort Lewis. It was her 155th career
victory, surpassing the previous record of 154, set by Dan Wurtz from
1982-93.
The last seven years have been the most successful in UNK history.
The Lopers have averaged 26 wins per season, made six straight NCAA
Tournament appearances and won six RMAC titles (regular season or
tournament).
At home, UNK has been untouchable in the Health & Sports
Center. The Lopers have won 86 straight home games, dating back to 1995,
the longest win streak in Division II history. The record was set on
February 27th in a RMAC Tournament game over Fort Hays State. UNK’s
"Streak" is believed to be the seventh longest in college
basketball history (both NCAA and NAIA including men). Stephens has an
all-time home record of 96-5.
With this success, its no surprise Stephens’ peers have named her
RMAC Coach of the Year in four of the last five years.
Her players have also received many conference and national awards.
The RMAC Player of the Year has been a UNK Loper in four of the last five
seasons, including this year, and eight different players have earned
all-conference recognition.
This Alliance, Neb., native thinks all of her student-athletes
deserve the credit for the Lopers' achievements in the 1990’s.
"The success of any program is attributable to the talents and
commitments of the players," Stephens said. "The athletes in our
program give 100 % and many times more to achieve our goals."
When Stephens took over the UNK program in 1995, she stressed two
main themes; defense and fundamentals. Her first team, consisting of seven
players, took those things to heart and posted a 17-11 record.
The following year, the Lopers improved to 26-5 and went a perfect
16-0 in RMAC play. That squad became the first Loper team to win a game in
the NCAA Tournament and finished the year ranked 17th in the nation.
Things just got better the next year as the Lopers posted a 28-3
record and broke nearly every offensive school record, including season
scoring average FG percentage and points in a game (114). Like in 1996,
UNK won a game in the NCAA Tournament before eventual national champion
North Dakota State ended the season. The team would finish the year ranked
10th in the land.
The next two years brought two more NCAA Tournament appearances and
a pair of RMAC titles. In 1998, the Lopers advanced to the "Sweet
Sixteen" for the first time in school history. Just like 1997, it
took the eventual national champion (North Dakota) to end the Lopers
season.
In 1999-00, UNK went 24-6 and defended its RMAC title, despite
losing nearly 80 percent of its scoring and rebounding from the year
before. The Lopers featured a balanced attack that achieved many big wins
during the season, including a two-point win over an Emporia State team
that was ranked 5th in the nation.
More recently, the 2001 Lopers went 27-3 and won their third
straight RMAC Tournament title. Besides setting the homecourt streak, this
team was ranked No. 2 in the nation, the highest in school history.
Off the court, 17 different Lopers have gained Academic All-RMAC
honors since Stephens took over.
The Lopers team GPA is always among the best in the nation. In fact
the team has had one of the top five highest team GPA’s in five of the
last seven years.
With all this success, it’s no surprise many young girls want to
learn from Stephens. She has established a successful summer basketball
camp at UNK and draws athletes from all over the region for her individual
fundamental and team camps. In addition, Stephens holds a one-day coaches
clinic in October that has drawn over 100 area high school coaches.
Prior to UNK, Stephens was the assistant women’s basketball coach
at Iowa State University.
A 1989 graduate of Nebraska, Stephens was a four-year starter for
the Cornhuskers. She averaged over 17 points per game in her career and
was named a Kodak District V All-American and first-team All-Big Eight
selection as a senior. That year, Stephens’ scoring average was at 21.9
ppg.
She finished her career second on the scoring list (1,976), first
in career assists (444) and steals (280), and still holds numerous records
in free throw shooting and three-point shooting. Her career-high of 40
points (vs. Oklahoma, 2/5/89) still ranks fourth in Nebraska history.
After her collegiate days were over, Stephens played for the U.S.
National Team and went on to play pro basketball in Wuppertal, Germany for
a year.
Stephens, an Alliance High all-state player, held the Nebraska
all-time prep scoring record for a number of years. This fall, she was
inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame.
Stephens assisted with the women’s basketball program at Nebraska
before moving on to Iowa State. She also spent one year as an assistant
coach at Omaha South High School.
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University of Nebraska at Kearney
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