Valparaiso University head women’s basketball coach Keith Freeman has announced the hiring of Kelly Komara as an assistant coach for the Crusader program heading into the 2011-2012 season.

“I am anxious to get back to Indiana,” Komara said.  “It feels good to come home and coach in a part of the state where I grew up.  Valparaiso has a great basketball tradition and I am excited to help coach the program I grew up watching as a kid.”

Komara spent the past four seasons as the video coordinator at Auburn University, where she also served as a graduate assistant coach for the 2004-2005 season.  She also has coaching experience as an assistant coach at Northwestern University in 2006-2007.

“Kelly has paid her dues,” Freeman said.  “She comes from an excellent coaching staff at Auburn, having worked under Nell Fortner.  She was a very good player and has a great reputation in the state of Indiana.”

A third round pick of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA in 2002, Komara played professionally with the Grand Rapids Blizzard of the National Women’s Basketball League and participated as an All-Star member of the Greece Cup in 2003-2004.

A native of Schererville, Ind., Komara was a member of Purdue’s 1999 national championship team and also helped lead the Boilermakers to a national runner-up finish in 2001.  She was a two-time All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection and was the NCAA Mideast Regional Most Outstanding Player in 2001.  As a freshman in 1999 Komara was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.

She set Purdue’s single season steals record in 2001-2002 and is currently tied for third on the all-time steals list.  She ended her career as the 13th all-time leading scorer and sixth on the made three-point field goal chart.

The 2001 Indiana Woman of the Year, Komara was an Academic All-District V selection that same year, and served as the Boilermakers team captain as a senior.

Komara earned her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Purdue in 2002 and received her master’s degree in Administration of Higher Education and Sports Management from Auburn in 2006.