Ex-Nebraska women's coach Connie Yori joins Creighton staff
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Former Nebraska coach Connie Yori is returning to women's basketball as a member of the Creighton staff, Bluejays coach Jim Flanery announced Tuesday.
Yori, who played at Creighton and was the Bluejays' head coach from 1992-2002, saw her successful 14-year run at Nebraska end two years ago amid accusations of player mistreatment. She denied any wrongdoing and resigned.
She'll be a program adviser at Creighton, helping develop game strategy, scout opponents and participate in on-campus recruiting.
''Creighton is my roots,'' Yori said. ''I spent 17 years here and I'm so proud to be a Creighton alum and always have been. It was hard to leave here and I am happy to be back helping my alma mater. This is a minor role in a really good program, and it'll be fun to rejoin the Creighton family.''
Yori was the consensus national coach of the year in 2010 after Nebraska went 32-2 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. She had a 280-166 record along with nine trips to the NCAA Tournament with the Cornhuskers.
Several players and support staff members complained to the Nebraska administration about Yori two seasons ago, alleging bullying and disregard for players' well-being. A number of other players said they never experienced or witnessed any mistreatment.
Yori resigned, saying she wanted to spend more time with her young son and her elderly parents. A separation agreement called for her to be paid about $1.2 million.
Yori, 54, has been out of coaching since she left Nebraska.
''Bringing Connie on staff will have tremendous value for our program both in the immediate future and in the long term,'' Flanery said. ''Day-to-day she adds unique experience as a former head coach to break down game film and ask questions from a different perspective. In addition, she is someone who has both understood our program from the inside, but has also been outside the program for many years. She'll be able to give us an idea of where we can improve overall.''
Yori graduated from Creighton in 1986 as the school's leading scorer with 2,010 points, a figure that now ranks No. 3 all-time. She was an assistant at Creighton from 1986-89 and was head coach at Loras College and Creighton before going to Nebraska.
