Indiana State University Athletics

Chad Killinger is in his third season as the head coach at Indiana State University and brings 25 years of college coaching experience to the Sycamores staff, including 18 seasons at the junior college level where he saw 130 student-athletes who he coached or recruited move on to play at the four-year level, with 54 of them signing at NCAA Division I institutions. Killinger owns a 301-205 (.595) record in 15 seasons as a head coach and has been a part of 495 victories at the collegiate level.

In his second season at the helm, Killinger led the Sycamores to an 11-19 record, with Indiana State's six conference wins being the program's most since 2017-18. Indiana State posted seven home wins inside the confines of Hulman Center, the program's best home record since the 2015-16 campaign. Turnovers remained a calling card for the Sycamores, who ranked second in the MVC in turnovers forced and fourth in turnover margin. Indiana State's offensive numbers also improved from the previous season, as the Sycamores increased their scoring average and 3-point percentage while ranking third in the conference in offensive rebounds. Included in that stretch was a road trip at Murray State and Belmont where the Sycamores shot better than 50 percent in both games, with Indiana State's 63.5 percent clip at Murray State representing the best shooting performance against an MVC foe in program history. Bella Finnegan enjoyed a breakout second half of the season and earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team, while Del'Janae Williams became the 29th player in program history to score 1,000 career points. 804 of Williams' 1,112 career points came in Killinger's two seasons as head coach.

Killinger's debut season on the sidelines in Terre Haute saw Indiana State win 11 games, a six-win improvement from the previous season. The Sycamores also won five conference games, the most for the program in three years, while also securing its first MVC Tournament win since 2014 with an 89-75 victory over Evansville. Included in the victories was the Sycamores' first win at Drake in nearly a decade, along with road conference wins at Valparaiso and Bradley and a non-conference win over Georgia Southern. Indiana State improved in nearly every statistical category in Killinger's first season, including top-40 national rankings in steals and turnovers forced. Del'Janae Williams earned Honorable Mention All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team honors following the season, marking the first Sycamore since 2017-18 to earn all-conference honors, while Arianna Smith earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

Killinger came to Terre Haute from Nicholls State University, where he served as the program's recruiting coordinator, and helped the Colonels to their ninth and 10th consecutive trips to the Southland Conference Tournament. Last season, Nicholls finished the year with the third most victories in conference play and were ranked in the Top 50 in the country in six statistical categories. Meanwhile, sophomore Chelsea Cain became just the third player in program history to be named first team all-conference as she registered a league high nine double doubles.
 
During the 2019-20 season, the Colonels tied a program record with seven consecutive victories while recording their first road win over Lamar University since 2002 and scoring the 10^th most total points in program history. Nicholls ranked 9^th in the nation in steals per game, 10^th in free throws made, 16^th in free throws attempts, and 19^th in total steals.
 
Before joining the staff at Nicholls, Killinger spent one season at East Carolina University and helped the Pirates to a 16-15 overall record, including a 9-2 record as the interim head coach, as they were one of five teams in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) to finish the year above the .500 mark. East Carolina earned its first victory over an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent since December 9, 2007, when they defeated Wake Forest in November. ECU finished the season ranked 17th in the nation in turnover margin, 17th in steals per game, 18th in turnovers forced, and 21st in total steals. Lashonda Monk, who was a third-team All-AAC selection and the ECU Female Athlete of the Year, set a new conference record with 116 steals as she ranked fifth nationally in both steals per game and total steals to spearhead the Pirates defensive effort.
 
Prior to East Carolina, Killinger spent seven seasons as the head women’s basketball coach at Moberly Area Community College in Missouri. During that time the program posted a 147-71 record, amassing the most overall wins in NJCAA Region 16 during that time, as well as the highest winning percentage (67.4), and finished in the top three of the region regular season standings in six of seven years, while advancing to the Region Tournament semi-finals five times.

The Lady Greyhounds had 40 student-athletes move on to the four-year level under Killinger, marking the highest total over any seven-year period in the programs storied history. The six Division I signees following the 2017-2018 season were the most since 1998 when seven Lady Greyhounds moved on to the Division I level.

Killinger coached one WBCA All-American, one second-team NJCAA All-American, one third-team NJCAA All-American, four WBCA honorable mention All-Americans, and one NJCAA honorable mention All-American at Moberly, with 18 players being named All-Region and two players receiving honorable mention All-Region. In just two seasons of competing in the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference, the Lady Greyhounds had five players named first team all-conference and six players named second team all-conference, including an unprecedented seven selections to the all-conference teams following the 2017-2018 season.

In 2017-2018, Killinger was named the U.S. Marine Corps/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Two-Year College National Coach of the Year, MCCAC Coach of the Year, and NJCAA Region 16 and District K Coach of the Year as he guided the Lady Greyhounds to one of the best seasons in program history as they finished 32-1 overall and ranked 4th in the nation. The 32 wins were the most since 1983-84 and set a new program record for consecutive wins, which was originally set in 1984-85 and 1990-91. Their undefeated regular season was the first since 1984-85 and they appeared in all 11 NJCAA Top 25 polls as they earned the number three seed at the NJCAA National Tournament.

Moberly captured the first MCCAC championship in program history, after finishing second during the 2016-17 season, and went on to win both the NJCAA Region 16 championship and NJCAA District K championship as they eventually earned a spot in the Sweet Sixteen at the national tournament by receiving a first-round bye.

The 2017-2018 Lady Greyhounds set new program marks for scoring margin in a game (97), average scoring margin (30.9), winning percentage (96.9), and scoring defense (48.0), as they held 26 of 33 opponents to 60 or fewer points. Moberly also ranked in the Top 25 in the nation in 12 statistical categories, including 4th in field goal percentage, 4th in opponents field goal percentage, 4th in assists per game, 8th in scoring defense, 9th in steals and 10th in both total rebounds and defensive rebounds per game as they outrebounded 29 of 33 opponents.
 
Moberly's success on the court transferred over into the classroom as women's basketball players were named to the President's List 11 times and to the Dean's List 35 times during the past seven years. Over the course of 14 semesters, Moberly had women's basketball players achieve a 3.0 or higher grade point average a total of 95 times. The Lady Greyhounds finished the 2016-2017 academic year ranked 6th on the WBCA Top 25 Academic Honor Roll and were named honorable mention for the Academic Team of the Year award by the NJCAA. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Moberly appeared on the WBCA Top 25 Academic Honor Roll as they ranked 14th among junior/community colleges with a 3.05 team grade point average. In addition, seven Lady Greyhounds received Academic All-American status as four were named third team and three were named second team over the past seven years.

Prior to coming to Moberly Killinger served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Marshall University where he was responsible for on-floor coaching, recruiting, scouting, and scheduling, as well as several administrative duties, including working directly with the compliance department and facilities director. Killinger's recruiting efforts helped the Thundering Herd land Alyse Poindexter, the 10th ranked junior college player in the nation and a third team NJCAA All-American selection. Despite facing a multitude of injuries throughout the season Marshall picked up its first ever victory at Reed Green Coliseum with a 57-48 win over Southern Mississippi while also knocking off eventual Women's Basketball Invitational champion UAB. In addition, the Thundering Herd had five players named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll, including Lateidra Elliott and Tessa Johnson, who Killinger also coached at Lincoln Trail College.

Before moving to Marshall Killinger served as the head women's basketball coach at Lincoln Trail College, an NJCAA Division I school located in Robinson, IL. Killinger led the team to unprecedented success, achieving a winning season in all four years while winning 22 or more games three times. His overall record was 91-36. During the 2009-2010 season, the program made its first appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament while setting a school record with 28 victories, eclipsing the 24-win mark set by Killinger's first team at Lincoln Trail. The 2009-2010 season also marked the third time in four seasons that the Lady Statesmen appeared in the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball poll, starting the year ranked 16th in the preseason poll and finishing the year ranked 17th in the country. During the 2006-2007 season, the Lady Statesmen appeared in the NJCAA Top 25 for the first time in school history, being ranked as high as 16th and finishing the season ranked 17th in the final poll. The Lady Statesmen returned to the national rankings during the 2007-2008 season as they were ranked as high as 23rd while appearing or receiving votes in five of the 12 polls.
 
In Great Rivers Athletic Conference games, Killinger led Lincoln Trail to a 45-19 mark, highlighted by the Lady Statesmen's first conference championship during the 2009-2010 season, and advanced to the NJCAA Region 24 Semi-finals in each of his four seasons. That same year Lincoln Trail also won their first Region 24 Championship, defeating Southeastern Illinois College, 73-69, in the championship game. In addition, the Lady Statesmen set 17 team records under Killinger, while appearing among the national statistical leaders in several categories and having numerous individuals appear among the national statistical leaders as well.

Lincoln Trail had players named to both the All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference and NJCAA All-Region 24 teams nine times in those four years, including Lateidra Elliott, who became the first basketball player in school history to be named a first-team NJCAA All-American in 2010. Elliott was also selected as a State Farm/WBCA All-American at the junior college level and became the second player from Lincoln Trail to be voted the Player of the Year in the conference and region. During the 2008-2009 season, Ty'Ronda Benning became the first Lady Statesmen to achieve conference and region player of the year honors. Benning joined Casey Baker, who was the first women's basketball player at Lincoln Trail College to receive national recognition, as she was also named an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American in 2009, while Baker accomplished that feat during the 2006-2007 season.

Aside from their success on the court, the program also enjoyed a great deal of success in the classroom. Lincoln Trail College had women's basketball players named to the Chief Executive Officer's List three times, President's List four times, Dean's List eight times, and had one player inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Academic Society, to go along with five Academic All-Conference selections. The Lady Statesmen also had individual student-athletes receive a grade point average of 3.0 or higher 46 times over eight semesters.

Prior to taking over the program at Lincoln Trail College Killinger served as the head women's basketball coach and assistant/associate men's basketball coach at Jacksonville College (TX) for three years. During his time at Jacksonville, Killinger helped to bring respectability to the Lady Jaguar program, which had never won more than six games in a season, leading them to the first winning season in school history, a then-school record 17 victories and the program's first appearance in the NJCAA Region 14 Tournament. Jacksonville broke every individual and team record during Killinger's tenure and enjoyed success both on and off the basketball court. While working to improve the performance of the program on the court, Killinger also stressed the importance of academics, which led to the team being nominated for an NJCAA Academic Team of the Year Award. With a team grade point average of 3.05, the Lady Jaguars finished the 2003-2004 academic year with the 18th best grade point average among Division I Junior College Women's Basketball programs and the highest grade point average in the Texas Eastern Conference/NJCAA Region XIV.

Over the course of three years, Jacksonville women's basketball players were named to the President's List two times, Dean's List six times, and achieved a 3.0 or better semester grade point average 18 times. The Lady Jaguars had four players named to "Who's Who Among American Junior College Students," two players named Academic All-Region, and one player inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa National Academic Society.

Before arriving at Jacksonville, Killinger served as the assistant men's basketball coach at Lincoln Trail College for four years. During that time, he helped the Statesmen to an overall record of 67-58, and in 2001, the program reached the NJCAA Region 24 Semifinals. Killinger was responsible for recruiting, scouting, skill development, strength and conditioning, housing supervision, and coordinated the team's offensive attack, while being named the top junior college men's basketball assistant in the Midwest by the Indiana Basketball News for 2002 and 2003. In addition to his previously mentioned duties, Killinger also founded the Junior Statesmen Club, while serving as its director, and organized the program's winter basketball camp, and several high school and junior high school basketball tournaments the school hosted.

Killinger began his coaching career as a student assistant, and volunteer assistant at Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana. Among his responsibilities at Franklin were film exchange, recruiting evaluations, and assisting the other coaches with scouting, game strategy, and various other duties. During his three years as a student assistant and volunteer assistant for the Grizzlies the team compiled a 50-26 record and in 1998 reached the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in school history. While working towards his bachelor's degree at Franklin, Killinger also served as a coach for the Bloomington Red AAU Basketball program, which was widely considered as one of the top AAU programs in the Midwest.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Athletic Training from Franklin College in December of 1997 and earned his Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy in July of 2003.

Killinger and his wife, Rachael, who competed at Indiana University in both basketball and track, have three sons - Isaiah (21), Elijah (13), Moses (9), and three daughters - Josiah (15), Noah (10), and Micah (5).

 

CHAD KILLINGER'S COACHING CAREER
2021-present	Head Coach, Indiana State (Record: 22-39)
2019-21	Assistant Coach, Nicholls State
2018-19	Assistant Coach/Interim Head Coach, East Carolina (Record: 9-2)
2011-18	Head Coach, Moberly Area Community College (Record: 147-71)
2010-11	Assistant Coach, Marshall
2006-10	Head Coach, Lincoln Trail College (Record: 91-36)
2003-06	Head Coach, Jacksonville College (Record: 32-58)
1999-03	Assistant Coach, Lincoln Trail College
1995-98	Assistant Coach, Franklin College