OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – In 12 years serving as the head coach of the Johnson County Community College program, Jennifer Ei has set up her student athletes for success on and off the country. She has compiled 324 wins, led the program to national tournaments in eight of 12 seasons, and has had her team appear in 104 of 111 NJCAA Coaches Polls.
Off the court her student-athletes have consistently been recognized for their academic achievements, as 74 percent of her players (115 of 156) achieved a grade point of 3.0 or better during the fall semester in each of her 12 seasons at the helm.
This past fall, Ei again had her team experience success on the court as well in the classroom. The Lady Cavaliers finished 25-10, ranked 10th in the final NJCAA D-II Rankings and five players garnered postseason accolades. In the classroom, her team posted a grade points average of 3.36, with 11 of her 14 players earned a GPA over a 3.0 last fall, including seven above a 3.5. Six of those seven had a 4.0 GPA.
"I believe it is most important to have great time management skills, set goals for academic success and have regular checks to make sure we are providing our players with all the resources that JCCC has to offer," said Ei. "Most of our student-athletes we recruit are good students and education is very important to them. This mindset helps keep them on track along with the amazing professors who are readily available to assist in their academic success."