Women's Basketball June 09, 2016

Rechlicz Adds Covington To Coaching Staff

Former Badger hired as assistant coach

MILWAUKEE – Head coach Kyle Rechlicz has announced the addition of assistant coach Anya Covington to the Milwaukee women's basketball coaching staff.

"Anya brings both coaching and playing experience to our veteran team," Rechlicz said. "I was fortunate to be able to coach her for one year at Wisconsin. She played with the heart and passion that we want all of our players to exude here at Milwaukee. She also cares about her athletes far beyond basketball and I am excited to watch them learn from her. I know she will also challenge our staff to become better and bring new, fresh ideas to the table daily. We are very fortunate to have 'Coach Ya' as a Panther."

Covington comes to Milwaukee after one year as an assistant coach with the Badgers.

"It's my great honor to become a member of the Panther family, to be able to learn from coach Rechlicz, and to learn from the talented and diverse staff members," Covington said. "It's a great time to be a Panther and I'm very appreciative to be able to come in and help continue this journey of success through the already established culture of hard work, integrity, passion, unity and humility.

"Impacting lives is the reason why I coach, so needless to say I'm anxiously awaiting the time I get to share, mentor, develop and grow with the amazing young ladies that are and will wear the black and gold. The sky is not a limit. "

Prior to coaching Wisconsin last year, Covington spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach with the University of Evansville. While with the Purple Aces, Covington helped coach forward Mallory Ladd to a spot on the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament team to go along with honorable mention all-conference honors.

Following her playing career, Covington started out her coaching profession as a graduate assistant coach for Northern Illinois in 2013-14.

Covington was also a standout on the court. Playing collegiately for Wisconsin, she appeared in 123 games in her four-year career and served as a captain her sophomore, junior and senior seasons with the Badgers. Covington was named honorable mention All-Big Ten as a senior after averaging 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. In addition, Covington was a two-time recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as well as serving on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee.

After graduation, Covington continued her playing career in the professional ranks overseas on a USA team against Ukraine and Moldova while ministering to those areas through Athletes in Action. She averaged 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game with the DBBL Rhein Main basketball team before suffering a season-ending injury. She also coached two professional teams while playing, assisting both the Rhein Main U17 and U13 clubs in Germany to winning seasons.

A native of Edwardsville, Ill., Covington graduated from Wisconsin in 2012 with a degree in English.

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