Like Chris Kielsmeier, Maria Marchesano falls into the category of a coach needing to be replaced because they got the job done. Marchesano’s job? Turn around a one win Purdue Fort Wayne program into a respectable Horizon League team. The problem? Marchesano didn’t stop at “respectable”. In her short five years as leader of the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons women’s basketball team, Marchesano turned Gates Sports Center into a venue that was very hard for opponents to win in and made PFW an annual visitor to the Horizon League Championship tournament in Indianapolis.
Though two extensions in two years to sign her through the 2029-2030 showed that Purdue Fort Wayne was all in on Marchesano with her four straight Horizon League semifinal appearances and three straight WNIT postseason bids, a very late mutual parting of ways by Austin Parkinson and Butler had eyes instantly looking two hours north on I-69.
So where does Purdue Fort Wayne look? Though the press release of Marchesano’s departure said that Purdue Fort Wayne will begin an immediate national search, the answer may be not too far away… Here are some names that could potentially continue Marchesano’s path of excellence and continue the annual trip to Indianapolis.
Steven Asher, Associate Head Coach, Purdue Fort Wayne
Given the timing of the coaching change, PFW does not have a lot of time to conduct interviews at all, let alone in person. The first phone call should be made to Asher to gauge his interest in dropping the “associate” title. Asher was hired as an assistant coach under head coach Marchesano for the 2022-2023 season, and he was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2024-2025 season. Players have often shared their praise for Asher in building outstanding team chemistry, and others on the staff tip their cap to his defensive preparations throughout the season. Prior to Purdue Fort Wayne, Asher was an assistant coach for Rice University that won the 2021-2022 WNIT championship with a record of 23-4. He also has experience at the Division II and Division III levels as an assistant as well as Big Ten experience on the men’s side in his three years on the Maryland sidelines. This may be the Mastodons’ best option to retain any players that haven’t hit the portal yet. This all, however, relies on the principle that Asher doesn’t follow Marchesano down to Indianapolis which I think has a higher chance of happening than not. In fact, I don’t think Asher would be the only assistant to go either.
Jessie Biggs, Head Coach and Director of Athletics , Indiana Tech (NAIA)
The other option that may be able to make it to an on campus interview before the weekend is right across town at NAIA Indiana Tech. In her 14 seasons with the Warriors, Jessie Biggs has amassed an absurd record of 359-110 (0.765) and has won the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular season title each of the last five seasons and eight of the last nine seasons. Before this season, Biggs had coached 46 All-Conference Selections, 17 NAIA All-Americans, and she has won the WHAC Coach of the Year eight times. The Mastodons have had quite the success recently of NAIA players with Jordan Reid and Alana Nelson, who’s to say an NAIA coach would be much different? She would have to potentially bring some NAIA players to recoup the expected departure of players after Marchesano’s announcement, and history bodes well for the ‘Dons there.
Jeremy Henney, Head Coach, St. Francis (IN) (NAIA)
Keeping it in Fort Wayne and in NAIA, on the other “corner” of Fort Wayne, Jeremy Henney had the University of St. Francis Cougars playing excellent ball this past season. This past season, St. Francis finished 30-5 overall and 15-3 in the conference. The Cougars spent most of the year ranked around the sixth or seventh position in the polls. Some of the wins were over Biggs’ #23 Indiana Tech team, #5 Marian, and two wins Alana Nelson’s former team #21 & #16 Spring Arbor. However, the season before Nelson scored 29 and 32 points in her two games against Henney. After some experience in the DII circuit, Henney went to Davidson College before heading to Indiana for a job at Huntington University and then St. Francis. Interestingly enough, Henney’s second leading scorer from this past season was Marchesano’s former recruit and player at Purdue Fort Wayne, Renna Schwieterman. With less “commitment” to his school than Biggs, Henney might emerge at the local favorite outside of the Mastodons’ current staff.
Ke’Sha Blanton, Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Tulane
Ke’Sha Blanton has over 15 years of coaching experience under her belt, with over half of those years in the Horizon League. After a less than stellar 11-20 season, the Toledo, Ohio native could look to return back to the Ohio/Michiana region for another shot in the Horizon League. She was included in the pool for who could potentially replace Chris Kielsmeier, but was not included in the initial reports of who had conducted an interview for the Cleveland State vacancy earlier this week. That’s not to say that hasn’t changed, but perhaps a second opening in the Horizon League gets her wheels turning about a possible return to the Horizon League. She can win in Fort Wayne. In fact, she can do it with six players. She did it against Marchesano when Oakland only had six available players and came out with the comeback victory. Though she had limited time as acting head coach at Oakland, her time at Detroit Mercy and Oakland could be the incentive to come back “home” and back to the Horizon League.
Kate Peterson Abaid, Former Assistant Coach, Green Bay
New reports from the HoriZone RoundTable’s own Eric Fischer indicated that Kate Peterson Abiad is no longer with the Green Bay Phoenix, citing a chance to “pursue other coaching opportunities.” What other opportunities? Well, Cleveland State apparently, per Kyle Rossi’s reporting, but the way they have been dragging their feet and the pace that Fort Wayne likes to move, what’s to say that Peterson Abiad doesn’t move to her third Horizon League team and start fresh in the 260? If she doesn’t return to Cleveland State where she won two Horizon League Tournament Championships, she could bring her near three decades of basketball experience to Fort Wayne. Though maybe she won’t like the idea of heading to Purdue Fort Wayne as in her one try at facing the ‘Dons as a head coach at Cleveland State resulted in a 82-81 win for PFW which was their only win in sixteen program matchups until Marchesano’s squad has split the games since 2024. She’s also showed she’s willing to go to an in-conference rival presented the right opportunity by going straight to Green Bay from Cleveland State. She may be the best chance that the ‘Dons have at squashing the ever looming cymbal crashing monkey that is facing Green Bay in the Horizon League tournament after being knocked out by the Phoenix in four straight seasons.
Beth O’Boyle, Former Head Coach, VCU
There has to be one option with no rhyme or reason on every one of these lists, and this is it. I guess, one reason could be that she’s not under contract anywhere else at the moment. It’s generally not a good look for a program to hire a coach who was canned midseason from another university, but could her near 200 wins at VCU in a “upper” mid-major conference be enough to land her a gig in the Horizon League? Barring a few years, O’Boyle’s teams were usually fairly competitive in the A-10 and the 26-6 team in 2023-2024 was extremely competitive. Her teams shot significantly less three-pointers than the Marchesano teams of ole’, but with the departure of Rylee Bess in the portal and Alana Nelson’s eligibility exhaustion, maybe the ‘Dons need an offensive gameplan centered around Krasovec’s and Wagner’s height should they both remain at PFW.
Austin Parkinson, Former Head Coach, Butler
Maybe? Not that it’s an ideal situation swapping coaches, but he has Horizon League history and success. The former then-IUPUI coach had 12 years with the Jaguars and saw their transition into the Horizon League from the Summit League along side Purdue Fort Wayne. Parkinson posted a 224-141 record overall and a slightly better 134-68 conference record with IUPUI. The last three seasons before leaving for Butler, Parkinson challenged the upper echelon of Green Bay and Cleveland State with regular season and tournament championships in 202 and 2022 as well as a tournament runner-up finish in 2021. I think this is the least likely of all of the options listed, but it’s not entirely impossible and worth entertaining. It could be a true story of the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, fitting for this day and age of the portal.
A lot of conversations will have to happen quickly on the upper floor of the Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne. I expect a decision to come quickly, perhaps even before Cleveland State makes their decision. Without a coach, it’s very hard to recruit players from the portal. With some players already finding new homes, a quick decision by PFW isn’t just advised, it’s necessary.
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