Northwestern University head men’s basketball coach Chris Collins announced early Friday the addition of Pat Baldwin to the team’s staff as an assistant coach.  A 1994 graduate of Northwestern, Baldwin returns to Evanston after serving as an assistant coach for Paul Lusk at Missouri State the last two seasons.

“It’s been great having Pat at Missouri State,” said Lusk who just completed his second year at Missouri State. “He was been with me from day one, and he has helped lay the foundation for the future of our program moving forward. I’m excited that he has an opportunity to return to his alma mater and be a part of Coach Collins’ staff at Northwestern.”

Lusk noted that he intends to begin a search for Baldwin’s replacement immediately.

Jackie Stiles will leave Loyola Marymount to coach under Kellie Harper.

New Missouri State women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper filled her two remaining assistant coaching vacancies Thursday (April 18), with former MSU great Jackie Stiles and Jennifer Sullivan set to join her husband Jon Harper on the sideline this fall.

“Each of these hires addresses a need,” Harper said of her assistants. “Jon brings a number of strengths that complement me. He’s a great communicator with players and has a knack for handling time and score situations in games.

“I felt great talking with Jennifer and Jackie. They are both young, qualified, and want to be at Missouri State. Jennifer is very professional, has great recruiting ties to the region and comes highly recommended. Jackie is an up-and-coming coach and good recruiter whose place in this program’s history speaks for itself.”

Stiles reportedly interviewed earlier this month for the head coach job for Drury University women’s basketball job. Drury is also located in Springfield.

Kellie Harper, new Missouri State women’s basketball coach

One of the nation’s most-respected young coaches, Kellie Harper was introduced as Missouri State’s seventh women’s basketball coach this afternoon in Springfield.  (Watch the video)

“I couldn’t be happier and more excited about this opportunity. This program has great tradition, fantastic facilities and a solid fan base,” said Harper. “It’s a fresh start for Lady Bears Basketball. The future is very bright, and we’re going to have high expectations to do something really special here.”

Harper has earned her reputation with a nine-year record of 167-128, including three NCAA Tournament appearances and four WNIT berths in that span. Her teams have historically played their best in the postseason, as she holds a collective 22-13 record in conference tournaments, NCAA Tournaments, and WNIT games. In fact, in 18 seasons as a Division I head coach, assistant coach and player, Harper has made 15 postseason appearances with a combined 415-181 (.696) record, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and four WNIT bids.

Harper became just the third coach in North Carolina State history in 2009 and directed the Wolfpack to three postseason appearances during her four-year stint at the helm, including the 2010 NCAA Tournament. NC State joined Tobacco Road rivals Duke and North Carolina as the only Atlantic Coast Conference teams to score wins over the league’s other 11 teams during that span, and earned six top-25 victories in four seasons.

Prior to her stint in Raleigh, Harper led Western Carolina to a 97-65 record and four postseason berths in five seasons, including a 70-31 mark her final three seasons in Cullowhee. The Catamounts captured the first two Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament titles in school history while seven student-athletes captured all-conference honors during her tenure.

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