GRAND FORKS, N.D. - University of North Dakota head women's basketball coach Travis Brewster continued to fill out his coaching staff today, naming Linda Sayavongchanh assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Earlier this month, Brewster announced the hiring of Tom Dryburgh as assistant coach.
Sayavongchanh (pronounced sy-uh-vong-chun) comes to North Dakota after having spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Drake University. While with the Bulldogs, Sayavongchanh's responsibilities included guard and post player development, all aspects of recruiting, practice and game preparation, team travel, academic coordinator, and opponent scouting.
"It is exciting to add Linda to the University of North Dakota family," said Brewster. "Linda has gregarious personality, which is vital being a recruiting coordinator, and she has established herself nationally on the recruiting trail, especially in the Midwest. Linda is extremely diligent with her efforts, which will make her a very effective teacher of the game on the court. Linda will apply her skills to help us maintain our tradition here at the University of North Dakota."
"North Dakota has a long-standing tradition of success and I'm looking forward to helping continue that tradition," said Sayavongchanh. "I'm extremely excited to be a part of the University of North Dakota family and to work under the leadership of Travis Brewster."
A standout player at Drake from 2002 to 2006, Sayavongchanh was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) selection and a three-time MVC All-Defensive Team pick. She graduated ranked second all-time at Drake in career steals (266), ninth in assists (379) and 18th in points (1,129). In 2003-04, Sayavongchanh set a Drake single-season record with 105 steals. The Bulldogs participated in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WNIT) twice during her playing career (2004, 2006).
Sayavongchanh spent the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Prior to her stint at Minnesota Duluth, she spent the 2006-07 season as a student assistant coach at Drake, helping the team to the MVC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, is a member of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHAU) Hall of Fame and the Des Moines Lincoln High School Hall of Fame. She graduated from Drake in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education and earned her master's degree in education from Minnesota Duluth in 2009.
UND (21-11, 9-1 Great West Conference) won the GWC Tournament in 2011-12 and earned its first postseason berth as a Division I program by securing a spot in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Fighting Sioux will join the Big Sky Conference in 2012-13.
