By Trevor Wenners
Assistant Director of Sports Information
Success starts at the top.
With that recipe in mind, the LaGrange College women's basketball team is in a perfect position moving forward. The Panthers have compiled an exceptional coaching staff in 2020-21, featuring head coach Jasen Jonus and assistants Riley Chlupacek and Matthew Snyder.
Read about the credentials of all three below.
Head Coach Jasen Jonus:
Jonus is in his first year at the helm of the women's basketball program in 2020-21. He spent seven seasons on the men's basketball coaching staff from 2013-20. He started as a graduate-assistant coach, and then spent three seasons as associate head coach and four as varsity-reserve head coach.
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The men's basketball program reached four-consecutive NCAA Division III tournaments from 2014-17, winning three USA South championships during that period. The 2015-16 team earned an at-large bid into the national tournament.
Jonus, who has served as LaGrange's cross-country head coach since 2018, was an outstanding collegiate basketball player. During the 2008-09 season at Wallace State in Hanceville, Alabama, the freshman guard led the conference in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made.
He transferred to Birmingham-Southern, earning SCAC Co-Newcomer of the Year laurels in 2009-10. Jonus, who is originally from Boaz, Alabama, led the team in scoring and 3-pointers made all three years, while being named to the All-SCAC second team in 2010-11 and 2011-12. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in education.
Prior to coaching, Jonus played one year of semi-professional basketball for the Birmingham Blitz in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 2012-13. He earned a Master of Arts in teaching from LaGrange in 2015, with concentrations in middle school grades and social studies.
Assistant Coach Riley Chlupacek:
Chlupacek enters her second season as a graduate-assistant coach. She has expertise in the guard positions and proper shooting techniques.
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A native of Tiger, Georgia, Chlupacek was named to the All-Region second team during her senior year at Rabun County High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science from LaGrange in 2019 and is pursing a master's in strength and conditioning.
Chlupacek was a four-year standout at the guard position for the Panthers from 2015-19. The sharpshooter finished with the eighth-most 3-pointers in program history (102). During her junior campaign, she buried 55 treys, which are tied for the fourth most in a single season in school history.
Chlupacek appeared in 87 games and made 32 starts. She recorded career highs of seven made 3-pointers and 25 points during a 72-64 triumph at Berry on Nov. 25, 2017. Chlupacek went 6-for-7 from 3-point range during a 71-59 win over Maryville on Feb. 3, 2019.
The seven made 3-pointers are tied for the fourth most in a single game in program history and the six treys are tied for the seventh most. During her senior year, she represented LaGrange on the USA South All-Sportsmanship team.
Assistant Coach Matthew Snyder:
Snyder is in his first season on the Panthers' staff. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in recreation and leisure studies from the University of Mount Olive in May 2020.
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Snyder served as a captain for the junior-varsity men's basketball team at Mount Olive from 2018-20. Additionally, the Dunn, North Carolina, native worked as a student assistant for the Mount Olive men's basketball program. He assisted with on-court skill sessions, broke down statistics with analytical databases and arranged travel plans.
In 2019, Snyder was a men's basketball camp instructor at the University of Maryland. His responsibilities included coaching young players, leading groups and organizing activities.
At Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, Snyder excelled as a men's basketball camp and group counselor from 2016-19. His primary focuses revolved around scheduling events, serving as commissioner for the 13-17-year-old groups, coaching teams and leading individual groups.
Snyder worked as a manager for the men's basketball program at Campbell from 2015-17. He assisted with on-court practices, broke down statistics and scouted opponents.
Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
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