Bronco women’s team gets new head coach

Gene Bleymaier, Boise State University Athletics director, announced this afternoon the hiring of Jen Warden as the new head coach of the women’s basketball program. In the 32-year history of the program Warden becomes only the fifth head coach to lead the Broncos. Warden replaces Trisha Stevens who resigned from the position on March 8.

“I’m elated to have someone with Jen’s background and qualifications as our next women’s head coach. Her coaching experience and recruiting ties will lead to great things for our team,” said Bleymaier. “I am confident that Jen will guide the women’s basketball program to great success.”

“I believe this is a tremendous opportunity to build a strong women’s basketball program,” commented Warden. ” I look forward to the challenge ahead. The support I have received from Gene, his staff and the community throughout this process has been outstanding.”

Coach Warden inherits a Bronco program coming off its first year of membership in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) ending the season 10-20 overall, 5-13 in league play, finishing in eighth place in the conference standings. The Broncos advanced to the second round of the 2002 Williams WAC Post-Season Tournament before bowing out to nationally ranked Louisiana Tech. The Broncos will return nine of 11 student athletes from this season’s squad for the 2002-03 campaign along with three current high school seniors who signed early letters-of-intent in November.

Warden brings an impressive resume to Boise State with extensive experience in collegiate coaching and recruiting at the NCAA Division I level. Warden has spent the last ten years as a member of the University of Colorado coaching staff where she recently helped guide the Buffaloes to the 2002 NCAA West Regional Final in Boise this past weekend. During her ten years at Colorado the Buffaloes qualified to the NCAA tournament seven times including three trips to the Elite Eight.

Warden has served as Colorado’s top assistant and recruiting coordinator since 1997 where she is credited with helping bring several highly regarded recruiting classes to Boulder. Colorado’s 1997 recruiting class was the third- ranked class in the nation and this year’s juniors were sixth and 10th in respective reports. Coach Ceal Barry refers to Warden as one of the best recruiters in the nation.

Since walking onto the Colorado basketball team as a student athlete in 1988, Warden has served in every assistant coaching capacity throughout her career in Boulder. Warden began her collegiate coaching career as the restricted earnings assistant at Colorado from 1992-1996, she was promoted to second assistant the following season and finally to the first assistant’s position in 1997.

Warden, 31, played for Ceal Barry during CU’s first Big Eight Championship season in 1989. During her playing career, she earned Academic All-Big Eight honors and was named Colorado Co-Sportswoman-of-the-Year, along with her coaches and teammates from the ‘89 championship team.

Her coaching career began at Centaurus High School in Louisville, Colorado, where she served as an assistant coach from 1990-1992. During the 1990-91 season, the Warriors won the Colorado State Championship.

Warden, who was born in LaJolla, California, graduated from the University of Colorado in 1993 with a degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. The former Jen Tubergen was married Aug. 10, 1996 to Larry Warden, Jr. They are the proud parents of Brice, who was born during the summer of 2001.

Bronco Sports Information

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