By Pat Rooney
DenverPioneers.com
It always felt as if Abby Waner's star burned a little too brightly to be forever constrained within the state of Colorado.
With apologies to all of the Division I women's basketball programs along the Front Range, it seemed perfectly fitting when Waner, the winner of two consecutive Miss Colorado Basketball awards during a storybook career at ThunderRidge High School, packed her bags to join one of the most prestigious institutions in the nation at Duke.
Stardom seemed preordained for Waner, and she played the starring role to rave reviews while earning three consecutive All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors with the Blue Devils. Always affable and quick to flash a smile, it surprised no one when Waner enjoyed almost immediate success as a television analyst, most notably for ESPN.
Throughout it all, however, Waner remained a basketball junkie. Moreover, she also remained a Colorado kid at heart. When opportunity collided with her blossoming coaching bug, Waner jumped at the chance.
Last week, Waner was formally introduced as an assistant coach for the University of Denver women's basketball team. Waner joins the staff under new head coach Kerry Cremeans, who has repeatedly described landing Waner as a "grand slam" for the Pioneers' program.
"I've been coaching in the summers, and as a former player it's almost like coaching always comes up as an option," Waner said. "I was always right in the middle. I loved working with the girls in the summer. And then I had a perfect job with ESPN. It almost felt like it wasn't a real job because I got to talk about basketball.
"The past six months or so, it definitely was something I've thought about. It turned in my mind, and that is really tough to shake. When I knew the DU job would be open, it's something that started gaining some momentum. When Kerry called me, it took two minutes, even less, to know I wanted to coach with her. I could not ask for a more ideal situation."
Waner has spent several summers coaching with the Colorado Hoopsters, one of the premiere club programs in the state that has produced dozens of Division I players, including Waner. She is quick to admit she has much to learn about collegiate coaching-particularly the myriad aspects of the job that occur off the court-yet, like any other endeavor Waner has set her sights on, she is eager to pour every ounce of effort into mastering all phases of her new job.
"I have so much to learn. I could already tell that in about four days," Waner said. "For me, I'm very rudimentary on what I know about college coaching. The organizations, recruiting, going through compliance, but I could not have asked for better people to learn from than Kerry and the rest of the staff."
Waner joins a staff that, so far, includes Ashley Langford, most recently an assistant at Bucknell University. Waner is expected to be the only member of Cremeans' new staff who owns longstanding ties to the Denver area. That will be a key ingredient as the Pioneers shift from the regime of former head coach Erik Johnson.
DU's roster already boasts one native Coloradoan in Quincey Noonan. The Pioneers will welcome two more in incoming recruits Michaela Neuhaus of Highlands Ranch and Kailey Edwards, a former teammate of Noonan's at Legacy High School.
Waner's deep Colorado connections should provide a huge boost as Cremeans gets acquainted to the local recruiting scene. Waner remains an icon to a generation of young Colorado ballplayers-in fact, Edwards recently admitted she grew up idolizing Waner-and her presence on DU's staff lends instant credibility to Cremeans as she establishes relationships with local coaches.
"She is so connected to the AAU programs and the coaches," Cremeans said. "That is such an important part of our business-the relationships, and keeping those relationships. Immediately she connects me with people, so we can begin that process of them getting to know me. Abby was an instant connection for me, and that was important."
