Paula Buscher
{{Short description|SIU Edwardsville women's basketball head coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Paula Buscher
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title =
| current_record =
| contract =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|4|4}}
| birth_place = Peoria, Illinois
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1981–1983
| player_team1 = Illinois Central CC
| player_years2 = 1983–1985
| player_team2 = Southwest Missouri State
| player_positions = Point guard
| coach_years1 = 1986–1988
| coach_team1 = Illinois State (asst.)
| coach_years2 = 1988–1997
| coach_team2 = Nebraska–Omaha (asst.)
| coach_years3 = 1997–1998
| coach_team3 = Mankato State
| coach_years4 = 1998–2000
| coach_team4 = Nebraska Omaha
| coach_years5 = 2000–2012
| coach_team5 = Bradley
| coach_years6 = 2013–2021
| coach_team6 = SIU Edwardsville
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|305|317|record=y}}
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record =
| championships =
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Paula Jean Buscher (born April 4, 1963){{Cite web|url=http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/careercoach|title = NCAA® Career Statistics}} is an American college basketball coach, previously the women's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois. The SIU Edwardsville Cougars are members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and compete in the NCAA's Division I.{{cite web |publisher=Ohio Valley Conference |title=Paula Buscher Named SIUE Women's Basketball Head Coach |url=http://www.ovcsports.com/news/2012/6/13/74054.aspx?path=wbball |accessdate=March 15, 2013}}
Biography
A native of Peoria, Illinois, Buscher played basketball and softball at Peoria's Richwoods High School, with her basketball team finishing second at the 1981 IHSA Class AA state Tournament. She then played both sports at Illinois Central College (ICC) under the legendary coach Lorene Ramsey, a member of both the National Softball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. At ICC, Buscher's teams finished fifth and third in the NJCAA national tournament, and won the 1982 NJCAA softball national championship. She was inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 as a member of that championship softball team;{{cite web |publisher=GPSHOF |title=1982 ICC SOFTBALL TEAM |url=http://www.gpshof.com/Inductees.asp?RWYKCCHPXQU9l61l9F4Ck=IHZRDLXXRKR73PB00C84l37XO52LN |accessdate=April 11, 2015}} she was additionally inducted as an individual in 2015.{{cite web |publisher=GPSHOF |title=2014 (sic) Individual Inductees |url=http://www.gpshof.com/ |accessdate=April 11, 2015}}
Buscher then attended Missouri State University, once more playing both basketball and softball for the Missouri State Bears. She earned her bachelor's degree from Missouri State in 1986. She then moved on to Illinois State University, spending two seasons as graduate assistant coach of the Illinois State Redbirds women's basketball team and earning her Master's degree in athletic administration in 1988.{{cite web|url=http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/coaches/buscher_paula|title=Paula Buscher|publisher=SIU Edwardsville|accessdate=July 14, 2015}}
Coaching career
After earning her Master's degree, Buscher served as women's basketball assistant coach at the NCAA Division II University of Nebraska at Omaha (Omaha) from 1988 to 1997. After leaving Omaha, Buscher took her first job as head coach at Mankato State. Following the previous season's 7–29 record, Mankato State under Buscher improved to 17–10, remaining one of the greatest turnarounds in NCAA Division II history. After only one season at Mankato State, Buscher returned to Omaha in 1998 as the schools women's basketball head coach.
Following a successful second season at Omaha, she was hired as women's basketball head coach at Division I Bradley University in her hometown of Peoria. In twelve seasons at Bradley, Buscher raised the Braves women's program from their previous status as perennial doormats in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) into a contender in the MVC. Her 2006–10 squad got the program's first win in the MVC tournament. The 2008–09 team set the school women's record for most wins with 21. The 2009–10 received the program's first bid to a post-season tournament and won the first post-season victory in the Women's Basketball Invitational (MBI). The 2011–12 team also advanced to the second round of the MBI. Her 167 wins is the most for any Bradley women's coach.
In June 2012, Buscher was named the fifth head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball team.
Head coaching record
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= Mankato State Mavericks{{cite web |publisher=North Central Conference |title=Women's Basketball – Record Book |url=http://northcentral.prestosports.com/Record_Book/08_Updates/08_WBB.pdf |accessdate=March 15, 2013}}
|startyear= 1997
|conference=North Central Conference (Div. II)
|endyear= 1998
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1997–98
| name = Mankato State
| overall = 17–10
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Mankato State
| overall = 17–10
| confrecord = 8–10
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= Nebraska Omaha Mavericks
|startyear= 1998
|conference=North Central Conference (Div. II)
|endyear= 2000
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1998–99
| name = UNO
| overall = 11–16
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1999–2000
| name = UNO
| overall = 15–12
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Nebraska Omaha
| overall = 26–28
| confrecord = 13–23
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= Bradley Braves{{cite web |publisher=Missouri Valley Conference |title=2012–13 Women's Basketball Media Guide |url=http://www.mvc–sports.com/wbasketball/wbbmediaguide/ |accessdate=March 15, 2013}}
|startyear= 2000
|conference=Missouri Valley Conference
|endyear= 2012
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2000–01
| name = Bradley
| overall = 10–17
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2001–02
| name = Bradley
| overall = 16–12
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2002–03
| name = Bradley
| overall = 13–15
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2003–04
| name = Bradley
| overall = 9–19
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = t–6th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2004–05
| name = Bradley
| overall = 15–13
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding = t–6th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2005–06
| name = Bradley
| overall = 9–19
| conference = 5–13
| confstanding = t–9th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2006–07
| name = Bradley
| overall = 12–19
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 7th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2007–08
| name = Bradley
| overall = 12–18
| conference = 6–12
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2008–09
| name = Bradley
| overall = 21–10
| conference = 11–7
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2009–10
| name = Bradley
| overall = 17–14
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = t–3rd
| postseason = WBI Quarterfinals
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2010–11
| name = Bradley
| overall = 15–16
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2011–12
| name = Bradley
| overall = 18–16
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding = 8th
| postseason = WBI Quarterfinals
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Bradley
| overall = 167–188
| confrecord = 91–125
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name= SIU Edwardsville Cougars{{cite web |publisher=Southern Illinois University Edwardsville |title=SIUE Women's Basketball Coaching Records |url=http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/archive/coaching.html |accessdate=July 15, 2015}}
|startyear= 2012
|conference=Ohio Valley Conference
|endyear=
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2012–13
| name = SIUE
| overall = 16–15
| conference = 9–7
| confstanding = 3rd (West)
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2013–14
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = 11–19
| conference = 7–9
| confstanding = T–2rd (West)
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2014–15
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = 19–12
| conference = 13–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2015–16
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = 18–13
| conference = 12–4
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2016–17
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = 14–17
| conference = 9–7
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 2017–18
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = 17–15
| conference = 13–5
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =WBI 1st round
| ranking = no
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall ={{Winning percentage | 95 | 91 | record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage | 63 | 35 | record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall= {{Winning percentage | 305 | 317 | record=y}}
|poll=no
|polltype=
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/coaches/buscher_paula SIUE bio]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150715112031/http://www.bradleybraves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3400&ATCLID=122826 Bradley bio]
{{Omaha Mavericks women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Bradley Braves women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buscher, Paula}}
Category:American women's basketball coaches
Category:Basketball coaches from Illinois
Category:Basketball players from Illinois
Category:Bradley Braves women's basketball coaches
Category:Illinois Central Cougars women's basketball players
Category:Illinois Central Cougars softball players
Category:Illinois State University alumni
Category:Missouri State Lady Bears basketball players
Category:Missouri State Lady Bears softball players
Category:Omaha Mavericks women's basketball coaches
Category:SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball coaches