Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Andrea Gorski named head coach at Bradley
04/09/2016 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball
By: Will Becque
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Andrea Gorski has been named the head women's basketball coach at her alma mater, Bradley University, Director of Athletics Chris Reynolds announced Saturday. Gorski arrives in Peoria after three years as an associate head coach for the Salukis, and was a head coach for 17 years at the high school, AAU and college level prior to her arrival in Carbondale.
"Our Saluki Family is extremely proud and thrilled that Andrea Gorski will be the next head women's basketball coach at Bradley University," said SIU head coach Cindy Stein. "Andrea has been an instrumental and valuable part of our rebuilding of the SIU Women's Basketball program. Although, we are sad that she is leaving us, we know how much this opportunity means to her and are confident of the success that she will bring to that program."
Gorski comes to Bradley following three seasons as the associate head coach at SIU, where her duties included player development, scheduling, scouting, recruiting, liaison with media relations and compliance along with various other tasks.
"While returning to my alma mater to coach is a dream come true, I cannot express enough how much I have appreciated the opportunity to work at SIU with the amazing staff and players," said Gorski. "Coach Stein has been an incredible mentor not only to the players but to myself as well. From campus to the community, SIU is a special place and I feel fortunate to have played a small part in the resurgence of the women's basketball program."
In just her second season as Stein's lead assistant at SIU, Gorski helped complete the largest turnaround in school history, going from 5-25 in 2013-14 to 17-13 the following season. In 2015-16, Southern posted its first 20-win season in nine years and made their first postseason appearance since 2007 while garnering three first-team All-MVC selections (Dyana Pierre, Rishonda Napier, Cartaesha Macklin) for the first time in program history.
Gorski joins an impressive list of former Stein assistant coaches who have gone on to head coaching positions: Brandon Schneider, an assistant for Stein at Emporia State, was hired as the head coach at Kansas in 2015. Tanya Warren, the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, was an assistant for Stein at Missouri from 2001-04 and been the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa since 2007 while Matt Daniel, an assistant under Stein at Missouri, is now the head coach at Marshall University. Dave Wilbers, another former Stein assistant at Mizzou, just completed his ninth season as the head coach at Arkansas Tech, where he has compiled a 218-58 record. Most recently, Amanda Hanneman, who played for Stein at Missouri and went on to serve as a graduate assistant on Stein's inaugural staff at SIU, just completed her first season as the head women's basketball coach at St. Teresa's Academy in Kansas City, Mo.
"I have been very fortunate to have some great staffs in my career," said Stein. "They are your life blood and Andrea ranks amongst the best. We wish her the best."
During her four-year playing career at Bradley, Gorski scored 980 career points and earned First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors her senior season in 1991-92. She still ranks fourth in Bradley history for career assists and fifth in 3-pointers made. She was inducted into the Bradley Hall of Fame in 1996.
Following her playing career, Gorski returned to her alma mater to begin her coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1992-93. She earned her first head coaching position in 1996 when she hired as the head coach at Ladywood High School in Livonia, Mich., where she compiled a record of 184-99 from 1996-2008. While at Ladywood, Gorski was a three-time Catholic League Coach of the Year in addition to being named Basketball Coaches of Michigan Coach of the Year, the Detroit Free Press Coach of the Year and the Associated Press Coach of the Year in 2005.
In 2008, Gorski returned to the college ranks, taking over as the head coach at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich., transforming a sub-.500 club into a national tournament team.
Gorski's Concordia team posted a ten-win improvement from year one to year two, and went 23-11 in year three, including the program's first-ever trip to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. In her final two seasons at Concordia, the Cardinals broke onto the national stage in 2011-12 with a 29-6 record, breaking the school record for wins in a season and earning the program's first-ever NAIA DII Tournament win. The following season, Gorski's final at Concordia, the Cardinals went 28-7, won their second straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular-season title and once again made it to the second round of the NAIA DII Tournament.
Gorski graduated from Bradley in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in business management and administration. Gorski's daughter, Kiley, is a junior for the Salukis. She also has a son, Luke.
