PEORIA, Ill. -- First-year Bradley Women's Basketball Head Coach Andrea Gorski took one step closer to completing her coaching staff with Friday's announcement that Kristi Zeller has been added as an assistant coach.
Zeller has been an assistant coach at Idaho for the last five seasons, where she has helped guide the Vandals to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a regular-season championship and three conference tournament titles during her tenure.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Coach Zeller to The Hilltop,” said Gorski. “Kristi has played a key role as an assistant coach for a NCAA tournament team. Her energy, positive mindset and willingness to take on multiple roles has served her well in her coaching career, which will prove to be a valuable asset to our student-athletes and coaching staff. Her history of winning, as well as developing student-athletes makes her a perfect fit for Bradley University and our high standards on and off the court.”
This past season, Zeller helped Idaho to a 13-5 Big Sky Conference record, 24-10 overall mark and third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons. Over the last four seasons, the Vandals were 80-50 (.615) overall which included a 47-23 (.671) record in conference play.
“I am very honored to be joining the Bradley family,” Zeller said. “This is a fantastic opportunity and I want to thank Coach Gorski and Bradley Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Reynolds for allowing me to be a part of this incredible environment. I appreciate everyone at the University of Idaho for helping me grow as a coach these past five years, putting me in a position to be successful. I cannot wait to coach this group of student-athlete and to see all the amazing things we will accomplish.”
During the 2013-14 season Zeller was part of a team which captured a Big Sky regular-season title (15-1) and finished 25-9 overall en route to the second of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. That season, she helped mentor WBCA All-American and Big Sky Conference Player of the Year Stacey Barr.
A Stow, Ohio, native, Zeller was a four-year letterwinner at Toledo and graduated summa cum laude in 2009 with a degree in social work. She helped the Rockets to a pair of Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal appearances during her collegiate career.
Zeller served as a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater after graduation and was part of former Evansville head coach Tricia Cullop's coaching staff with the Rockets for three seasons.
A two-time Academic All-MAC selection, Zeller earned a master's degree in liberal studies from Toledo in 2011.
