Jenna Kotas

In her third season as an assistant coach at UIS in 2021-22
Helped UIS to a program-record 10 GLVC victories in 2020-21
2019 and 2021 WBCA Thirty Under 30 Award Winner

Jenna Kotas is in her third season as an assistant coach for the UIS women’s basketball team in 2021-22.

Kotas helped UIS win a program-record 10 GLVC games during the 2020-21 season, and come one win away from the program’s best season since 1998-99. The Prairie Stars were one of the top rebounding teams in the GLVC, and allowed two fewer points per game than the year before. Kotas helped two Prairie Stars, Lauren Ladowski and Malea Jackson, be named to one of the all-conference teams.

After the season, Kotas was named a 2021 WBCA Third Under 30 Award winner.

In her first season at UIS, the Prairie Stars improved in the win column over the previous season, and tied for the second-most wins in the program’s NCAA era. Kotas helped the offense set a program-record in points per game since moving to the NCAA, and the defense had a 1.1 point improvement in team defensive rating. She helped Ladowski to be named to the GLVC third-team all-conference squad, and Jackson was selected to the GLVC All-Freshman team.

Kotas came to UIS after spending one season at Purdue Northwest. While at Purdue Northwest, she was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 list, which recognizes some of the top up-and-coming coaches in women's basketball.

Kotas also coached one year at the University of Dubuque and two seasons at Benedictine University (Ill.). At Benedictine, she helped the program reach the NACC Tournament. At both of those stops, she was in charge of wing and post player development.

While coaching collegiately, Kotas has also given individual basketball lessons to boys and girls, and coached AAU teams in the area that she was at.

Kotas started her collegiate playing career at Clarke University, and then transferred to Dubuque for her final two seasons. She scored a combined 1,605 points, and was an all-conference performer all four years. Kotas was an honorable mention All-American as a senior after averaging 18.1 points per game and ranking third in the nation in free-throw percentage with a .902 mark. She helped Dubuque win the program's first regular season conference championship in that 2014-15 season.

Kotas is originally from Tinley Park, Ill. and attended Victor J. Andrew High School. She was a two-time all-conference, all-area, and all-state player. She scored 1,056 points in her career and was a two-time team MVP.

Kotas graduated from Dubuque in 2015 with a degree in Sports Marketing/Management. She also received Dubuque’s 2015 Sports Marketing and Management Award of Distinction. In 2021, she earned her Master's in Communications from UIS.