UNI Women's Basketball Camps
Coaching Staff

Sami Allison
Assistant Coach

Sami Allison is in her first season with the Panthers. Allison serves as UNI's skill development camp director and coordinates UNI's film exchange. She works primarily with the Panther post players and with the team defense. She also works in all phases of recruiting and with game scouting and all phases of practice.

Allison, a native of Libertyville, Iowa, joins the Panthers with seven years' experience as an assistant at the NCAA Division I level. She most recently spent two seasons at Monmouth University in New Jersey. While with the Hawks she was responsible for scheduling, recruiting, marketing, camps and clinics and equipment.

Before working at Monmouth, she worked four years at Long Island University. She went to LIU after spending a season at her alma mater, St. Francis (Pa.) University. There, she helped the Red Flash finish with a 25-6 record and as Northeast Conference champion.

Allison played two seasons at St. Francis, serving as a captain and starter both years. She was named to the Northeast Conference all-tournament team in 2003, and she helped the Red Flash win the NEC Tournament in 2002 and 2003 to earn bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Before playing at St. Francis, Allison played basketball and softball at Kirkwood Community College. She was named an honorable all-American in women's basketball and a first-team selection on softball in 2001.

Allison earned her bachelor's degree in marketing from St. Francis, and she earned a master's of business administration from Long Island University.

Adam DeJoode
Assistant Coach

Adam DeJoode is in his second season with the Panthers. DeJoode serves as the Playmakers Club director, advanced skills camp director and coordinates school year recruiting. He also works with the team's defense and post players, and he works with game scouting, all facets of practice and in all phases of recruiting.

DeJoode comes to UNI after serving as a head coach in the high school ranks since 2001. He also served as the president of the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association, and he coached more than 30 Division I players while working as the IBCA Iowa Select Team Coordinator.

DeJoode comes to UNI from Southeast Polk Community School, where he served as the head girls' coach since 2006. In his second season, he led Southeast Polk to its first winning season in a decade. He also developed a formal youth program for girls in 4th through 8th grades.

Before going to Southeast Polk, DeJoode spent five years as the head coach at Charles City Community School. He led Charles City to a 23-4 record and finished as Class 3A State Runner-Up in 2004. His teams led all teams in three-point field goals made in two different seasons, and his teams set 43 of 50 school records during his tenure.

His IBCA teams finished with a five-year record of 137-27, and they combined to win seven tournaments in 2007 and 2008. He coached three Miss Iowa Basketball players, and he sent seven players to Division I schools in both 2007 and 2008.

Before working at Charles City, DeJoode was an assistant boys' basketball coach at Ames High School from 1998-2001. He also worked as a student manager under Tim Floyd while at Iowa State.

DeJoode, a native of Cedar Falls, earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science from Iowa State. He and his wife, Liz, have a two-year-old son, Jack.

Brad Nelson
Assistant Coach

Brad Nelson is entering his 11th season with the Panthers. Nelson works as the Panthers' scheduling coordinator, and he coordinates UNI's summer recruiting as well as working with all phases of recruiting. He works with the Panther offense, with the perimeter players, and with game scouting and all facets of practice.

Nelson joined the Panther coaching staff in the 2000-01 season. He has been with the Panthers during each of their three WNIT appearances (2001, 203, 2006). Nelson has been a part of a coaching staff that has led UNI to new heights in the MVC, including a second-place finish in the 2004-05 season and the third most wins in The Valley since 2004-05. He was named recruiting coordinator in the 2001-0 season, and he has helped sign four MVC all-conference players in Cassie Hager, Tara King, Jessie Biggs and Jacqui Kalin.

Prior to joining UNI, Nelson served as assistant head coach at Cedar Falls High School and helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back trips to the semi-finals of the 4A Iowa Girls Basketball State Tournament. Prior to Cedar Falls, he served as an assistant coach at St. Ambrose University in 1995-96. That season, St. Ambrose won the regular and postseason conference titles on the way to a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.

While earning his business management degree from the University of Oregon, Nelson served as the head manager for the Ducks' men's basketball team under coaches Don Monson and Jerry Green.

Nelson and his wife, Jenny, have four children: 13-year-old daughter Bailey, 11-year-old twin sons Brandon and Jacob, and six-year-old son Jordan.

Kelly Jacobs
Director of Basketball Operations

Kelley (Westhoff) Jacobs is in her first season as the director of operations with the Panthers after spending 12 seasons on the Panther bench as a graduate assistant and assistant coach.

As the director of operations, Jacobs coordinates team travel and the team budget. She also works as the camp director and coordinates alumni relations.

She continues to serve as the academics liaison, and the Panthers have finished with one of the 15 highest GPAs in the nation in eight of the last nine years. Jacobs previously worked with UNI's post players, helping to develop the 2009 MVC Newcomer of the Year, Kim Wypiszynski. Prior to working with the posts, she worked with the UNI point guards, including 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, Jacqui Kalin.

Jacobs remains one of the great players in UNI's history, holding many assists records. A 1997 graduate of UNI, she was a four-year letter winner and co-captained the team her junior and senior seasons. She set five school records and still holds marks for assists in a game (13), season (180) and career (475). She also owns the standard for assists per game in a season (7.20) and career (4.57). She led the conference in assists in her final Panther season and was ranked nationally.

She is a two-time all-academic selection in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Dubuque, Iowa native earned All-MVC honorable mention honors in 1996-97.

Jacobs and her husband Ryan, the UNI softball coach, reside in Cedar Falls with their daughters, Haley and Emma.