MIAMI (May 15, 2015) – FIU women's basketball Head Coach Marlin Chinn finalized his coaching staff with the addition of Brianna Skeens as an assistant coach.
 
"I cannot be more excited about 'Bri' joining us here at FIU," Chinn said. "I love the presence and energy that she will bring to our program."
                                                                                                                                            
Skeens most recently served as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin and was with the program for three years. Prior to her GA responsibilities, she was the Badgers' program assistant.
 
A four-year letterwinner in basketball and volleyball at Augustana College (Ill.), Skeens, was the recipient of the Augustana basketball team's "Best Defensive Player" award her junior year. She was also a finalist for the prestigious Shooting Touch Sabbatical program, which grants graduating seniors the opportunity to partake in a 10-month international work program using the platform of basketball to help foster education and influence positive social change in third world communities.
 
As a member of the Vikings volleyball team, Skeens served as team captain as a junior and as a senior. She was named the team's most valuable player as a senior, leading the team in kills and hitting percentage while ranking second in blocks per set.
 
A 2012 graduate of Augustana with a degree in sociology, Skeens served as the president of SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and participated frequently in Athletes-Giving-Back (A.G.B.). She received the Merle Chapman Award from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in May of 2012 for her leadership work with SAAC.
 
A native of Libertyville, Ill., Skeens has coached with the Midwest Elite AAU basketball program.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUWBasketball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUWBasketball) for all the latest FIU women's basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
                          #
 
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean BankField at FIU Stadium.
 
 About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.