Gophers hire former U star Rachel Banham for women' basketball coaching staff

Former Gophers All-American guard Rachel Banham wasn't ready to give up her playing career to coach, but the chance to do both was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

While Banham played this summer with the Lynx, Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen reached out to gauge her interest in possibly joining her basketball staff.

With the WNBA season over, Banham could start working on a college staff while still continuing her playing career — her ideal situation to start coaching.

"I think she always knew because we had conversations about what I wanted to do in the future," Banham said of Whalen. "After the season, when she had a role and offered me, I was like 'absolutely.' "

Banham, 29, who replaced Whalen as the program's all-time leading scorer in 2016, is coming off her seventh WNBA season and third with the Lynx. Her coaching experience so far was as a high school assistant at Roseville for two years.

As the U's quality control director, Banham will have responsibilities with the day-to-day operations of the team from practices to scouting and game analysis.

"I've kind of dabbled in a lot of stuff when it comes to coaching, especially with the younger players," Banham said. "I can't wait to be on the sideline and learn from the staff and Lindsay."

Whalen was announced as Gophers coach in 2018, but she didn't take the sidelines until after she retired from the Lynx. Banham looks forward to using what she learns from coaching to help her become a better player.

"To be able to grow that way is actually beneficial to my game on the court as a leader and a point guard," Banham said. "To see the game in a different way. I'm here in the offseason and always around the Gophers program. So, it's something I really, really wanted to do. The opportunity was amazing timing."

The former Lakeville North star scored a Big Ten-best 3,093 points during her Gophers career from 2011-16. After being selected fourth in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Banham spent her first four seasons with the Connecticut Sun before returning home to the Lynx in 2020.

Last season with the Lynx, Banham started five games and had career-highs in scoring (7.9), minutes played (17.5) and three-pointers (57) while also averaging 2.3 assists per game.

Whalen, who is entering her fifth season as Gophers coach, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame last weekend after her storied career with the Gophers and Lynx.

Now the Gophers will have two coaches on their staff with their jerseys retired and hanging in the Williams Arena rafters.

"That's pretty cool," Banham said. "I'm really lucky that she thought of me in this way and wanted me to be part of the team."

The Gophers' only exhibition game is Oct. 30 vs. Wisconsin-River Falls at Williams Arena. Their season opens Nov. 7 against Western Illinois, also at home.