Paula Krueger, a former Northern standout, returned to the Northern State sidelines after 12 years at the NCAA Division II and high school levels in 2015-16.
She will enter her second season with the program in 2016-17, and first season as the associate head coach, after a 23-8 season with the Wolves in her first year. Northern was picked tenth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll and defied expectations to finish fourth overall in the league and at the top of the NSIC North.
Krueger began her basketball career for the Wolves as a student-athlete from 1990 to 1994. In her time on the court, she recorded two team NAIA Division II National Championships (1992 and 1994), and one NAIA Division II National Runner Up. In the 1992-93 season, she was awarded the NAIA Division II National Tournament Hustle Award, the NSU Women’s Basketball Spirit Award, and was a member of the NSU Scholar-Honor Athlete and Northern Sun Academic All-Conference Teams. A season later, she was named the NAIA Division II National Tournament Most Valuable Player and to the NAIA Division II All-Tournament First-Team. Krueger garnered the NSU Women’s Basketball Spirit Award for the second year straight, and was named the 1993-94 Hildred Wolfe Female Athlete of the Year Recipient.
Krueger has been involved at all levels of women’s basketball, beginning her coaching career as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach at Warner High School. After a stint as Northern’s graduate assistant, she moved on to coach one season at Pahrump Valley High School as a varsity assistant and junior varsity head coach in Nevada. She returned to the Northern sidelines for in the fall of 1997 as the women’s basketball assistant coach and head softball coach. Paula spent six seasons in that role, leading the Wolves to both a first and second round appearance in the NCAA Division II North Central Regional.
In 2003, Krueger stepped into her first NCAA head coaching role at the Colorado School of Mines. In nine season with the Orediggers, her teams tallied two runner-up at the RMAC Championships finishes (2005-06 and 2009-10); seven conference tournament first round appearances; an NCAA Central Region appearance (2009-10); and RMAC East Division Co-Championships (2008-09); and the highest winning percentage/most wins in a coaches tenure (133-125).