Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham women's basketball head coach
Stephanie Gaitley has filled two open positions on her staff for the upcoming 2021-22 campaign with familiar faces –
Anita Jennings has been named an assistant coach, filling the position left by longtime assistant Val Nainima, who took the same role at Michigan, and
Allie Keller as the program's Director of Basketball Operations, filling the role left by recent Hall of Fame inductee Abigail Corning.
"I had the pleasure of coaching Anita at Saint Joseph's and coaching alongside her at Monmouth. She reached out last year before I had any positions available, looking for a career change. Three months later, our video position opened up and Anita jumped in and was terrific. Her transition on the court has been smooth as she is a great teacher of the game as well as someone who relates well to the kids. I'm excited to be working side by side with her!"
Jennings was part of Gaitley's first recruiting class at Saint Joseph's, graduating in 1995 after two straight NCAA Tournament At-Large bids to wrap up her playing career. She later served as Gaitley's Director of Operations at Monmouth from 2008-10 and just completed her first year at Fordham as the team's video analyst. Jennings has over 15 years of coaching experience at various levels.
"Allie had to juggle a number of tasks throughout this season and she was a rockstar! I knew she was the obvious person for this position. She has been a great addition to our program and I'm sure she will shine in her new position, as well!"
Keller will be entering her third year with the program after serving as the team's Director of Administration for the previous two. She helped cover the position starting in November 2020 with Corning's departure. A 2015 graduate of Skidmore College, helping the Thoroughbreds to their first-ever league title and NCAA Tournament appearance, Keller spent two years earning her Master's degree at Syracuse while working as a graduate manager with the team.
