MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University women’s basketball head coach Buck Scheel has announced the hiring of Heather Howard as the program’s assistant coach. Howard comes to Northwest after spending two seasons as the assistant coach at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

“I’m very excited about Heather joining the staff here at Northwest,” said Scheel. “As a player and a coach, she’s experienced all levels of NCAA women’s basketball and has a great knowledge about what it takes to be successful in the MIAA. She’s not afraid to put the work in and I look forward to her being a part of our Bearcat family.”

Howard was a standout at Shawnee Mission West High School, earning second-team KBCA and Topeka Capital Journal All-State honors as a senior. She also earned first team All-Star Johnson County, All-Sun Country and All-Sunflower League honors. She went on to letter three times at Oklahoma State, playing in 69 contests from 2009-12, earning Academic All-Big 12 first team honors twice. OSU appeared in the 2010 NCAA Division I Tournament and won the 2011-12 WNIT Tournament. Howard finished her career at Missouri Western, starting all 28 games while averaging 13.1 points and 9.5 rebounds during the 2012-13 season. She spent one season as the graduate assistant at Missouri Western following her playing career in 2013-14.

“I’m so excited and grateful to join the women’s basketball staff at Northwest,” Howard said. “I really believe in the direction that Coach Scheel is taking this team. To be a part of it is such a great opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”

Howard will officially start at Northwest on May 2, 2016.

— Northwest Athletics —