After 11 seasons with Penn women’s basketball, associate head coach Kelly Killion is set to become the head coach of women’s basketball at American University.
Killion, who was promoted to recruiting coordinator and associate head coach in 2022, has left an impressive mark on the program over the past decade. Killion held especially close ties to the Penn women’s basketball head coach Mike McLaughlin, to whom she played for in college before being hired at Penn.
Before coaching, Killion earned her countless recognitions playing for Holy Family University during her undergraduate years, including being named two-time Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and receiving a Holy Family Athletics Hall of Fame honor in 2021.
After her distinguished basketball career at Holy Family, Killion began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Penn under McLaughlin for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.
She then left the Red and Blue to become an assistant coach at Sacred Heart University for the 2012-13 season, before serving as recruiting coordinator at William & Mary for the following three seasons.
Both teams greatly benefited from Killion’s guidance. At Sacred Heart, Killion’s coaching aided in leading the team to their first-ever appearance at the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. At William & Mary, Killion helped produce two back-to-back record-setting seasons with 15 wins each, the fourth most in program history. Killion could not stay away from Philadelphia, though, as she returned as assistant coach for the Quakers in 2016.
“She’s what you saw now, an energetic, really talented athlete, a winner [in] every part of her,” McLaughlin told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “She’s just older in a different role, but she shared the same traits that made her such a special player and why I was so attracted to having her with us.”
“Being back at Penn, it’s home for me. It’s where I started my career,” Killion said at the time. “It’s just one of those things where it was the right fit — it’s a great feeling to be back.”
Killion’s second run as assistant coach was impactful as she aided in leading Penn women’s basketball to an Ivy League title and NCAA tournament appearance in the 2016-17 season.
Killion was also integral to the program’s shared Ivy League regular-season title with Princeton in the 2018-19 season, after finishing 12-2 in conference play. The Quakers received an invitation to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Killion’s new home, American, in the first round.
Throughout her time with the Red and Blue, Killion’s impact on the program is seen not only with their championships and titles, but also through her behind-the-scenes efforts with the team.
She both recruited and oversaw the development of some of the Quaker’s most awarded players. Under Killion’s guidance, Penn women’s basketball has had four Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, including most recently, now-sophomore guard Mataya Gayle and current freshman guard Katie Collins.
“The more experience she got, the more … command she got as a leader, as a coach, and the more she developed in her skills to coach the game,” McLaughlin said. “She’s always been someone that people have been attracted to because of [her] personality.”
Killion’s coaching has also shown through the success of senior guard Stina Almqvist, who was initially recruited by Killion. This season, Almqvist earned first-team All-Ivy and became the 26th player in program history to record 1,000 career points.
“I remember I texted her [when I got in to Penn] and she texted me back from the hospital bed [after] having just had her first child,” Almqvist said. “It’s kind of insane how much they really care and do everything for you. It’s just such a big family.”
“We all are just really happy for her to get this opportunity, even though it’s going to hurt a little for the girls that are coming back,” Almqvist added.
“[Killion] left a legacy here,” McLaughlin said on her departure. “In the locker room, telling the players that she was leaving, you could feel that. You can feel the excitement, [and] the passion and care. You can feel the sadness that she’s leaving. … We can share [these] four things in one person. I think you understand why we’re so, so proud of her.”
Killion is excited for the new opportunity at American but is still sad to depart from her longtime home with the Quakers.
“My 11 years at Penn, especially these last three as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, have helped shape me as a coach and given me a blueprint that I plan to carry forward as I step into my first head coaching position,” Killion said in a statement with Penn Athletics. “The Penn program, and especially the women that I coached here, will always hold a special place in my heart.”
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