Peru State head women’s basketball coach Ian Holleran has announced the hiring of Brianna Bogard as the Bobcats’ new assistant coach. Bogard began her duties on June 1.
Holleran stated, “From the start of the interview process, Brianna stood out amongst a strong pool of applicants. Her background as a player speaks for itself and she has some great coaching experience at the NAIA level.”
Bogard was actively recruited by Gonzaga, Southern Mississippi, South Alabama, Hawaii, and East Carolina out of high school where she had attended the powerhouse Georgetown High School. In addition, in high school, she played for one of Texas’ top AAU programs. In 2010, she was named as the “Central Texas Player of the Year” by the Austin-American Statesman for leadership and performance. In addition, her high school experience included playing on a USA Team that toured Japan while competing against local tournament teams and collegiate squads.
She was a four-year starting guard at the NCAA Division I level. She played two years at East Tennessee State (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tenn., after being named as the top point guard in Texas during her senior season in high school. During her freshman year at East Tennessee, Bogard was ranked in the Top 50 NCAA Division I players in three-point shooting percentage.
Following her two years at ETSU, Bogard transferred to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in her first season, Bogard played in all 28 games as a junior while starting 27. She averaged 8.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.5 steals per game while recording nine double-digit scoring efforts. Ironically, she had a season-high five rebounds in the Mavericks’ game against Peru State that season.
Bogard finished her career at NAIA Wayland Baptist University (WBU) in Plainview, Texas. The Pioneers finished 25-5 which included a trip to the NAIA National Championship where the team lost in the first round of the tournament to the University of Pikeville. Following that season, Bogard received the “Hutcherson Family Award” which was voted on by her teammates for exemplary work ethic, tenacity, and leadership.
She finished her bachelor’s degree at WBU in fitness management with a specialty in sports management in December of 2016. In addition, Bogard was hired by the Flying Queens to serve as a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball program. Wayland Baptist was very successful during her time as a graduate assistant as they competed in the national tournament all three years with the Flying Queens making the final four during her second year as a coach. Bogard graduated from WBU with a master of business administration in December 2019.
Most recently, Bogard served as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University at Shreveport where the team won the conference championship during the first year with a new coaching staff. The Pilots qualified for the NAIA national tournament each year while she was an assistant. Unfortunately, the NAIA tournament in 2019-20 was cancelled. The Pilots finished 16-2 this past year in a COVID-shortened season and lost in the first round of the national tournament.
Bogard is excited about her new opportunity and is ready to help the Bobcats turnaround a program which has not had a winning season in many years. She stated, "I'm extremely excited to be joining the Peru State College Women's Basketball program. I want to thank Coach Holleran and the athletic department for giving me this opportunity. I can't wait to see what this upcoming season has in store for us.”
Holleran concluded, “Being a former Division I point guard, Brianna will be a major asset in coaching our guards. In addition, she will take on a lead role in scouting as well as recruiting. Brianna is a high-level person, recruiter, and coach, and she will make an immediate impact in all aspects of the program."
The Bobcats will be opening their season on October 23 when they host the Doane Tigers at 4 p.m.
