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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Geoff Schneider
Geoff Schneider
Rich Barnes
Geoff Schneider

Jenepher Banker

  • Title
    Head Coach
  • Email
    jbanker@daemen.edu
  • Phone
    (716) 839-8336
  • Daemen Tenure
    2016-Present (9th Season)
  • Record @ Daemen
    143-68, 96-32 ECC
  • Career Record
    210-129
  • Alma Mater
    Springfield (Mass.) '85
Jenepher Banker, the 2021, 2022 and 2023 East Coast Conference Coach of the Year, will embark on her ninth season as the head women's basketball coach at Daemen in 2024-25, as she continues to build Western New York's premier NCAA Division II program. Banker was introduced in 2016 as the fourth head coach in the modern era of the program and has since led the Wildcats to a 143-68 overall record and a 96-32 mark in ECC play.

The veteran mentor has presided over the program's resurgence in recent years, leading the Wildcats to five-straight ECC regular season championships (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), four ECC tournament titles (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), five NCAA tournament berths (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the program's first two NCAA Tournament East Region championships (2021, 2024).  From early January of 2019 through the end of the 2022-23 season, Banker's Wildcats have gone 116-28 (.811).

Daemen closed out the 2023-24 season with a 23-8 overall record and a 13-3 mark in the ECC. The 23 wins tied the NCAA Division II-era (2015-present) record for wins in a season for the Wildcats. The Wildcats won the ECC regular season title for the fifth-straight year and claimed the ECC Tournament crown for the fourth time in five seasons. The Wildcats advanced to the 64-team NCAA Division II Championship tournament for the fifth-straight year and claimed their second NCAA East Regional title in four years after posting wins over Saint Rose (52-47), No. 21 Assumption (68-58) and No. 3 Jefferson (69-62). Daemen's season came to an end following a 76-44 loss to No. 7 Texas Woman's University in the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. Daemen was ranked 12th in the final WBCA Division II Top-25.

Daemen opened the 2022-23 season with six-straight wins and would cap the regular-season with eight-straight victories. The Wildcats went 18-4 during the regular-season and claimed the ECC regular season title with a 13-3 record. Seeded first in the ECC Tournament, the Wildcats defeated fifth-seeded Staten Island (64-52) and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas (66-51) to claim their second-straight ECC Tournament title. Daemen claimed the sixth seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament East Regional and suffered a 74-47 setback to Jefferson in the opening round.

The Wildcats won just two of their first five games to start the 2021-22 season, but then rattled off 13-straight win and eventually closed out the regular-season with an 18-4 overall record and a 16-1 mark in the ECC. Seeded first in the ECC Tournament, the Wildcats defeated fourth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan (84-62) and second-seeded Molloy (74-67) to earn their second ECC title in the past three years and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Seeded eighth in the eight-team NCAA Tournament East Regional, Daemen knocked off top-seeded and regional host Southern New Hampshire (70-59) in the opening round and advanced to a second-straight appearance in the regional championship game following a 70-52 win over fourth-seeded Jefferson in the the semifinals. The Wildcats came just shy of becoming the first ECC team to repeat as regional champions, and the first overall since Bentley in 2011 and 2012, following a heart-breaking 67-65 loss to seventh-seeded Pace in the championship game. Daemen was ranked 23rd in the final D2SIDA poll and was receiving votes in the final WBCA Division II Top-25.

The 2020-21 season was a historic one as Banker guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Division II East Region championship, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in the program's NCAA era. It was a remarkable run, especially considering the circumstances. The start of the season was delayed until mid-January due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but once it got underway, the Wildcats were off and running. They rattled off 12 wins in their first 13 contests with the only setback coming against nationally ranked Gannon. The success included a 9-0 run through ECC play as the Wildcats completed an unbeaten conference slate for just the third time in program history. 

After stumbling in the final round of the ECC Championship, Banker refocused the group heading into NCAA tournament play. With the East Regional held on their home floor at Lumsden Gymnasium, the second-seeded Wildcats ousted third-seeded Georgian Court 73-54 to secure the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. Banker and the squad would go on to cut down the nets following a 58-40 win over fifth-seeded and long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan in the regional final, avenging their conference tournament loss to the Redhawks and snapping their region-best nine-game winning streak in the process.

Daemen's historic run came to an end at the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center where, as the No. 8 seed, they fell 66-49 to top-seeded and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian. The Wildcats ended the year ranked eighth in national polls conducted by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). They were driven all season by their defense, finishing third in the country in both scoring defense (51.6 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.325). 

Banker guided the squad to a 23-5 overall record - the program's first 20-win season since 2012-13 - as well as a share of the ECC regular season championship and the ECC tournament title during the 2019-20 campaign. They did so by combining stingy defense with solid offensive production, especially from behind the three-point arc. The Wildcats allowed just 55.0 points per game, ranking 13th in the country, and went 9-1 when holding opponents to less than 50 points. On the offensive end, Daemen set program records for three-pointers made in a game (20 vs. Queens on January 10) and season (238) and ranked first in the ECC for three-pointers made per game (8.5). Daemen's +14.1 scoring margin also topped the ECC and ranked 30th nationally. 

The team's success in 2019-20 included a 13-game winning streak spanning some 69 days - the longest winning streak of the program's NCAA Division II era. The Wildcats also posted a 9-0 record at home, going undefeated for the third time in program history and for the first time since 2007-08. 

After going 13-3 during the conference regular season, the Wildcats experienced postseason success with two wins at the ECC tournament which was played at the UDC Sports Complex in Washington, D.C. Second-seeded Daemen knocked off third-seeded New York Tech in the semifinals, 76-56, on March 7. A day later, Banker led the Wildcats to a 68-56 win over fourth-seeded Molloy in the finals, riding the double-double performance (24 points, 13 rebounds) of sophomore forward Katie Titus who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The conference tournament title came with an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA tournament. Daemen was awarded the No. 7 seed in the East Region, and was set to make its NCAA tournament debut against second-seeded Stonehill. However, the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The groundwork for championship seasons was laid in the years prior. Inheriting a team that won nine games in the season before her arrival, Banker led the team to 11 wins in her debut season and 12 more during the 2017-18 campaign which included the program's first ECC tournament berth. 

In 2018-19, Banker led the Wildcats to an 18-10 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference games. The 15 conference wins established a new benchmark for Daemen's ECC era as the Wildcats placed second in the ECC standings. The Wildcats also achieved their first-ever regional ranking at the Division II level that season, debuting in the D2SIDA East Region media poll in a tie for No. 10 on February 4. They later debuted at No. 10 in the official NCAA regional poll released on February 20. Daemen's ascent into the regional conversation came in the midst of winning 14 of their final 15 regular season contests, including a streak of 11 in a row. Banker picked up her 100th win as a collegiate head coach along the way, a 79-47 defeat of conference foe District of Columbia on January 27. 

Over her first eight seasons at the helm, Banker has played an integral role in the development of 12  all-conference players. Those players account for 23 total all-conference selections, including first-team picks Sarah Saba (2017, 2018), Katie Titus (2019, 2021), Tiara Filbert (2020, 2021), Caroline White (2020, 2021), Paige Emborsky (2023) and Alahna Paige (2024). Additionally, Titus (2019 ECC Rookie of the Year), White (2021 ECC Player of the Year) and Alahna Paige (2021 ECC Rookie of the Year and 2024 ECC Player of the Year) have garnered major ECC awards during Banker's tenure. Also in 2021, White and Titus picked up honorable mention All-American honors from he WBCA.

Banker holds more than 30 years of coaching experience at various levels, ranging from Division I to high school. Her first collegiate experience came as an assistant coach at Iowa State University, then of the Big Eight Conference, from 1986-88, and later as an assistant at Canisius College from 1993-95. 
 
Between assistant coaching stops, Banker served as the head coach at Penn State-Behrend in Erie, Pa. While there, she led the Lions' NCAA Division III program to a 67-61 overall record, including a 41-12 mark in her final two seasons. Her 1991-92 team went 23-4, winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region championship. That season, her team garnered Penn State-Behrend's first-ever national ranking in any sport.  She still ranks second all-time in coaching victories, and was inducted into Penn State-Behrend's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
 
Later, Banker settled at the high school level, coaching the varsity team at Grand Island High School from 1998-2013, building the Lady Vikings into a regional contender with seven Section VI championships, four appearances in the Far West Regional, and one appearance at the New York State final four. During her tenure, Banker's teams were recognized with the New York State Scholar-Athlete Team Award for 15 straight seasons, and she developed 10 players that went on to play college basketball, as well as four of the five 1,000-point scorers in school history.
 
In addition, Banker has also coached twice in the Empire State Games, formerly a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York.
 
Banker, who played collegiately and was an Academic All-American and 1,000-point scorer at Springfield College (Mass.), graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education. She would later add a Master of Science Degree in Athletic Administration from Iowa State in 1988. After serving as a physical education instructor at Iowa State, Penn State-Behrend and Canisius, she had, since 1998, been a physical education teacher in the Grand Island School District where she has also served as the Director of Community Education.

She resides in Grand Island with her husband, Brett. Together, the couple has raised two children, Kolby and Kallie. Kallie, is a former Division I basketball player at both the University of Rhode Island and the University of Vermont, who now serves as Daemen's top assistant.

What People Are Saying About Jenepher Banker...

“Coach Banker has coached at nearly every level of basketball from high school to high-major Division I.  She is a great coach and an even better person.  What a great fit for Daemen College.  The student-athletes who play for her will learn on the court and in the game of life as well."
Terry Zeh
Former Head Women's Basketball Coach
Canisius College

“What an outstanding hire for the Daemen women's basketball program.  Jenepher Banker is a winner.  She is a passionate basketball coach that is both committed to the game and to her players.  She is a worker that understands what it takes to build a winning program, and will definitely give it her all."
Gina Castelli
Head Women's Basketball Coach
UAlbany

“When you play for Jenepher Banker you know that you are never going to be outcoached, ever.  She is a genius in strategy and preparation, and she puts her teams in a position to win every game.  I was very fortunate to play for coach Banker at Penn State-Behrend and being a part of her team is still one of the best experiences in my life.  She sets the bar of standards and expectations high, and then helps her players and her team achieve their goals."
Wendy Sunderman
Penn State-Behrend '94

Jenepher Banker Collegiate Coaching Career Chronology
Year Position School Location Level Team Record
1986-87 Assistant Coach Iowa State Ames, Iowa NCAA Div. I 12-16, 2-12 Big 8
1987-88 Assistant Coach Iowa State Ames, Iowa NCAA Div. I 13-14, 5-9 Big 8
1988-89 Head Coach Penn State Behrend Erie, Pa. NCAA Div. III 9-16
1989-90 Head Coach Penn State Behrend Erie, Pa. NCAA Div. III 9-16
1990-91 Head Coach Penn State Behrend Erie, Pa. NCAA Div. III 8-17
1991-92 Head Coach Penn State Behrend Erie, Pa. NCAA Div. III 23-4
1992-93 Head Coach Penn State Behrend Erie, Pa. NCAA Div. III 18-8
1993-94 Assistant Coach Canisius Buffalo, N.Y. NCAA Div. I 9-18, 3-11 MAAC
1994-95 Assistant Coach Canisius Buffalo, N.Y. NCAA Div. I 18-9, 11-3 MAAC
2016-17 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 11-15, 8-10 ECC
2017-18 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 12-17, 9-9 ECC
2018-19 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 18-10, 15-3 ECC
2019-20 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 23-5, 13-3 ECC
2020-21 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 14-3, 9-0 ECC
2021-22 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 22-5, 16-1 ECC
2022-23 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Div. II 20-5, 13-3 ECC
2023-24 Head Coach Daemen Amherst, N.Y. NCAA Dov. II 23-8, 13-3 ECC
 
Jenepher Banker Coaching Records
School Years Overall Record Win Pct. Conference Record Win Pct.
Penn State Behrend 1988-93 67-61 .523 0-0 .000
Daemen 2016-Present  143-68 .678 96-32 .750
TOTALS 13
SEASONS		 210-129 .619 96-32 .750