PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley women's basketball head coach Paula Buscher completed her coaching staff with the announcement that Annawan, Ill., native Lisa Robinson will join the Braves for the upcoming 2011-12 season as an assistant coach. Robinson boasts 27 years of coaching experience, including 24 at the NCAA Division I level.
No stranger to the Missouri Valley Conference, Robinson was an assistant coach at Illinois State for a total of 15 years and was part of the Redbird coaching staff when Buscher was a graduate assistant under Hall of Fame head coach Jill Hutchison during the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons.
"I am very excited to be able to add such an experienced and respected individual to our coaching staff," said Buscher. "Lisa not only brings great knowledge of the game but also is respected across the nation as a tireless recruiter with strong ties to the Midwest and the Missouri Valley Conference. Her energy and passion for the game are contagious and she will be a great addition."
Robinson was associate head coach at Air Force for eight years (2002-10), where she was responsible for the Falcons recruiting efforts in addition to overseeing the team's academic progress. During her tenure in Colorado Springs, Colo., she helped Air Force land 11 recruits from the state of Illinois. Prior to her Air Force, Robinson spent the 2001-02 season as associate head coach at Wyoming.
"I am extremely excited to be coming to Bradley University," said Robinson. "Paula has been a respected colleague and friend for many years. I am excited about the direction of the program and look forward to contributing everything I can to continue moving forward towards a Missouri Valley Conference Championship."
After graduating from Illinois with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1983, she began her coaching career at I-74 rival Illinois State and was an assistant coach from 1983 through the 1994-95 season before being elevated to associate head coach for her final three seasons in Normal, Ill.
Illinois State won four regular-season MVC titles and finished in the top three in The Valley 10 times, while making six postseason appearances during Robinson's tenure with the Redbirds. In addition ISU produced two conference players of the year and a total of 18 first-team all-league selections while she was part of the Redbird coaching staff.
Robinson also has three years of head coaching experience, serving as head coach at Normal Community High School during the 1998-99 school year and was head coach at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., for the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons before heading to Wyoming.
A four-year letterwinner at Illinois, Robinson was a finalist for the Wade Trophy in 1981-82 in addition to earning first-team academic all-america honors. She was a first-team all-region pick as a senior and earned honorable mention all-american in 1979-80 and again in 1980-81.
Robinson was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and was named to Illinois' all-decade team. She earned a master of science degree in special education from Illinois State.
