Allison Braun joined the Gannon University women's basketball as an assistant coach in September 2021. Braun's name should be familiar to area basketball fans, as she is a former standout at McDowell High School who went on to play at Canisius.
"Allison is a welcome addition to Gannon Basketball!," related head coach Cleve Wright. "We are happy to have her energy, enthusiasm and heart for teaching on our team. Our players will benefit from her example and experience. Her strong ties to the Erie community will help us to build on our program's commitment to the city and surrounding areas."
Braun joins Wright staff after serving as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland the last three years. During the 2019-20 season she was part of Cortland's coaching contingent that was named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The Red Dragons finished 22-7, advanced to the finals of the SUNYAC tournament, earned an NCAA Division III tournament at-large bid and won its NCAA opening-round game to tie for 17th place nationally. Cortland did not compete a year ago as COVID-19 interrupted the season. The Red Dragons were 34-21 during Braun's tenure.
Braun played four years at Division I Canisius College from 2009-13. She was voted as the team's Most Valuable Player by her teammates in both her junior and senior years and was a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-Academic Team selection.
Known for her defensive prowess while playing guard, Braun would appear in 108 career games, with 53 starts. She scored 381 career points and pulled down 370 rebounds.
Braun earned a Bachelor's Degree in environmental studies, with minors in art history and biology, from Canisius in 2013, and a Master's Degree from Canisius in communication and leadership in 2015.
She served as a housing manager and organizational consultant for Family Promise of WNY from October 2017 until her arrival at Cortland. She has also worked as a freelance organizational consultant, designer and creative director.
In addition, Braun served as a teacher, residential director, and in community outreach at Xavier High School in Chuuk, Micronesia from August 2015 to June 2016. She lived and worked on a Jesuit mission providing education to the local island community, students of Southeast Asia, and surrounding Pacific islands.
A native of Erie, Braun was a standout at McDowell High School. As a junior she was the Region 6 Player of the Year and earned first team all-region honors while averaging 11.4 ppg. Braun also played soccer for four seasons.
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