New Ohio women's basketball coach Semeka Randall rounded out her coaching staff last week, adding an assistant coach and hiring a director of basketball operations.
Ryan Bragdon will join Randall's staff as an assistant after seven years at Mid-American Conference rival Western Michigan University. He will lead the scouting and recruiting efforts for Ohio and, in addition, will oversee player development programs. Bragdon also will be responsible for the Bobcats' scheduling, beginning next season.
Prior to joining the Broncos in 2001, Bragdon served as the equipment manager for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association.
Randall also named Shauna Bookal director of basketball operations for the women's program. A familiar face to Randall, Bookal most recently was a sports marketing intern at West Virginia University, where Randall was formerly an assistant before being hired at Ohio.
Bookal ' a native of Toronto ' oversaw game day promotions and marketing for the basketball and volleyball programs at Brock University in Ontario. She received a bachelor's degree in sports management from Brock in 2005, and earned a graduate degree in sport business management from Durham a year later.
As a member of Randall's staff, Bookal will manage the team's travel arrangements and engineer community outreach programs geared toward promoting the team around Athens.
Allen finishes 27th at nationals
A bit of a surprise qualifier, sophomore thrower Bahiyjaui Allen completed her standout season with a 27th place finish at the NCAA National Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 11.
Initially, it appeared that the likelihood of Allen earning an at-large bid to nationals was bleak, but she was blessed by the keen eye of her coaches, Clay Calkins and Nick Pero.
The coaching staff noticed a scoring error from regionals, where Allen and another competitor shared a similar mark, yet Allen was not awarded a bid.
Allen eventually received a bid June 5 after the NCAA recognized the error.
Jumping ship G? again
Following a season that didn't meet Bert Whittington IV or Allen Hester's expectations, both junior-college transfers are switching schools once again.
Tim O'Shea's unexpected departure to Bryant University likely had little impact on the decisions, as family issues and their respective roles on the team were in question.
Hester, a 6-1 guard who averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds with Ohio, has enrolled at Cal State-San Bernardino for the 2008-2009 school year to be closer to his family.
Like Hester, Whittington IV is a California native and will play at Biola University, a renowned Christian university in southern California, in the fall. Whittington IV averaged 8.0 points and 1.9 rebounds last season.
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