The Penn women's basketball team recently announced its five recruits for next season.
Yesterday, they announced another new member of the Quakers team: Shannon Cohen.
Cohen replaces Erin Landley as one of Penn's two assistant basketball coaches.
Landley graduated from Penn in 2001 after having played for the Quakers. She was captain of the team when Penn won the Ivy League title in 2001. Landley became an assistant coach at Penn after spending a year in England playing professional basketball, and at the end of this season decided to return to England.
"Erin wanted to play again," Penn coach Kelly Greenberg said. "She just missed playing."
After playing for four years at Loyola College -- during which time she was a two-year team captain and two-time Loyola Defensive Player of the Year -- Cohen earned a Masters at Canisius College in Coaching and Sport Psychology.
Cohen stayed at Canisius after graduating, and became an assistant women's basketball coach there in 2001.
The Timonium, Md. native spent the last two seasons at Canisius, where she served as the perimeter player coach.
"I really like her background, that she played under coach Pat Coyle and under coach Cindy Anderson at Loyola," Greenberg said.
"She will bring a different perspective from Canisius to Penn's basketball program."
Last season, Cohen helped guide the Griffins to a 16-14 record and a berth in the MAAC women's basketball tournament.
Cohen was instrumental in developing scouting reports, served as the team's defensive coordinator, and was heavily involved in recruiting.
As a point guard at Loyola, Cohen dished out 312 career assists, which places her in the top 10 in Loyola history.
"Usually your best coaches are going to be former point guards," Greenberg said.
Cohen mirrored Greenberg's sentiments.
"As a point guard you have the responsibility of knowing all give positions, and as a coach that helps a lot," Cohen said.
"We will have a lot of guards next year at the point and at the wing," Greenberg said. "I think she will really help the team."
In addition to coaching the guards, Cohen particularly wants to help the Quakers' defense.
"The defensive end was my forte in college, and I would like to carry that on here and help our defense improve," she said.
Cohen ranks second in Loyola history in steals, with 244.
"I think our coaching staff will have great chemistry and we will really help the freshmen and returning players," Cohen said. "I'm really excited about this opportunity."
Cohen brings a winning spirit to Penn, after playing on Loyola's winningest team in school history as a sophomore. Cohen's 72 career wins are the most by any four-year player in Loyola College history.
