June 8, 2016
New Vanderbilt women’s basketball coach Stephanie White announced on Wednesday that Kelly Komara has joined the staff as an assistant coach. Komara comes to Vanderbilt from Purdue, where she spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach.
Komara was a standout player at Purdue from 1998-2002. She and White, who was named Vanderbilt’s head coach last month, were teammates on the 1999 Purdue team that captured the national championship. Purdue was coached that season by Carolyn Peck, who is now an associate coach on White’s staff as at Vanderbilt.
“It’s such an honor for me to bring to Kelly into the Vanderbilt community,” said White. “Kelly’s love and passion for the game and helping young people reach their potential is infectious. We have a long history together and one of the things I’ve always admired is her incredible work ethic and drive to be the best. She’s a terrific addition to our staff and we look forward to getting to work.”
Komara returned to Purdue in 2014, and has worked primarily with the guards — in addition to game preparation and recruiting responsibilities — during the past two years at her alma mater.
Prior to Purdue, Komara had a two-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Albany. While there, her duties included scheduling the team’s games, serving as the team’s strength, conditioning and nutrition liaison, working on scouting reports and assisting with recruiting and game preparation.
Komara has also worked at Valparaiso, Auburn and Northwestern in a variety of roles.
In 2002, she was drafted in the third round by the Indiana Fever and played professionally for the Grand Rapids Blizzards in the National Women’s Basketball League.
Komara is one of seven players in Purdue history to have at least 1,000 points, 400 assists and 200 steals in their career. She was the most outstanding player for the 2001 NCAA Mideast Regional and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2002. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Komara was a first-team selection in 2002 and earned honorable mention recognition as a sophomore and junior. She was also granted the prestigious Mackey Award and Varsity Walk Award as a senior by the Purdue administration.
Komara is Purdue’s all-time leader in single-season steals with 120 steals (in 2002), the third-most in Big Ten Conference history. She ranks No. 18 on Purdue’s all-time scoring list (1,266 career points), No. 5 in career steals (297) and No. 11 in career assists (402).
Komara earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education from Purdue University in 2002. She went on to receive her master’s degree in higher education and sports management from Auburn in 2006.
A native of Schererville, Ind., and standout at Lake Central High, Komara was named Indiana Miss Basketball award after averaging 21.5 points per game as a senior.
