Kristi Cirone

Kristi Mary Rose Cirone (born May 19, 1987) is an American basketball coach and former player. She played collegiately for Illinois State University and led the school to three national postseason tournaments in 2007 through 2009 while also being named the Jackie Stiles Player of the Year all three years. After her college career, she played professionally with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and in Europe.[1]

Kristi Cirone
Personal information
Born (1987-05-19) May 19, 1987
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight136 lb (62 kg)
Career information
High schoolResurrection
(Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois State (2005–2009)
WNBA draft2009 / Undrafted
Playing career2009–2010
PositionPoint guard
Number10, 25
Coaching career2010–present
Career history
As player:
2009Connecticut Sun
2009Apollon Ptolemaidos
2010PTS Lider Pruszkow
As coach:
2010–2012Missouri (assistant)
2012–2018Judson
Career highlights and awards
  • 3× MVC Player of the Year (2007–2009)
  • 3× MVC All-First-Team (2007–2009)
  • 3× MVC All-Defensive Team (2007–2009)
  • MVC Freshman of the Year (2006)
  • MVC All-Freshman Team (2006)
  • No. 10 retired by Illinois State

Playing career

High school career

Cirone grew up in Chicago[2] and attended Resurrection High School from 2001 to 2004 where she was a four-year starter.[3] She made the 2005 McDonald's All-America Top-100 list. One of only two juniors on 2004 IBCA First Team. 2005 Associated Press Second-Team All-State and 2004 Chicago Tribune Second-Team All-State. Advanced to 2005 IHSA State Finals in the Country Insurance Three-Point Showdown. Led Resurrection to an 85-36 record in four years and is the school's all-time leader in points (2,300), assists (414) and steals (370). She played AAU basketball for the Illinois Hustlers.

College career

Freshman

2006 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team member. Led the Redbirds in assists, free throws made, three-point field goals made and tied for the team lead in steals. Four-time Valley Newcomer of the Week (11/21, 12/4, 12/19, 2/27). First player in Valley history to be both State Farm MVC Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week (12/19). Set ISU freshman season records for three-point field goals made and free throws made. Set ISU record for most steals in a game at Redbird Arena with eight against Wichita State (1/22).

Sophomore

2007 Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. All-Valley First-Team, All-Defensive Team and All-MVC Scholar-Athlete Second-Team selection. Led Illinois State in scoring, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists, steals and minutes played. Recorded 29 double-digit scoring efforts, including 13 outings with 20 or more points. Averaged 5.58 assists per game, the top mark in the MVC. Two-time State Farm MVC Player of the Week (12/11, 1/8). Two-time Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week (12/14, 1/11).

Junior

2008 Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, only the fourth player in the history of the conference to win the award in back-to-back years. All-Valley First-Team, All-Defensive Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team selection. Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. WBCA/State Farm Honorable Mention All-American. 2008 Jill Hutchison ISU Female Athlete of the Year. Final nominee for the Nancy Lieberman Award. Team captain. Led the Redbirds in scoring, field goals made and attempted, three-point field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio, steals and minutes. Led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.87). Three-time MVC Player of the Week (1/8, 1/15, 2/25). Four-time Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week (1/10, 1/17, 2/26, 3/19). Best Western Roundball Classic All-Tournament Team selection. State Farm MVC Tournament MVP. Scored 22 points and had four assists in the NCAA Tournament First Round against Oklahoma (3/23).[4][5]

Senior

2009 Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, only the second player in the history of the conference to win the award in three consecutive years. (The only other is the awards namesake, Jackie Stiles) 2009 Preseason 1st team NCAA All-American selection. ISU got the Preseason AP Poll 10th rank. She now holds the women's career scoring record for the most points at Illinois State University.[4][6]

In 2019, she was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.[7]

College statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005-06 Illinois State 28 389 34.7 34.4 80.4 2.5 4.4 1.6 0.2 13.9
2006-07 Illinois State 33 541 42.6 35.1 77.1 3.7 5.6 1.8 0.2 16.4
2007-08 Illinois State 33 552 48.4 39.8 80.0 3.5 5.2 2.4 0.3 16.7
2008-09 Illinois State 35 657 46.6 39.5 76.2 4.1 5.8 2.3 0.2 18.8
Career Illinois State 129 2139 43.7 37.4 78.2 3.5 5.3 2.0 0.2 16.6

Source[8]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2009 WNBA draft, Cirone signed with the Connecticut Sun in April 2009 and was the only undrafted rookie to make a WNBA roster.[9] She was waived on June 19 when the Sun signed Tan White.[10] In September 2009, she signed with Apollon Ptolemaidos of the Greek A1 League[9] but left the team a month later.[11] In 2010, she signed a training camp contract with the Chicago Sky but was waived before the start of the season.[12]

Coaching career

After serving as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Missouri from 2010 to 2012, Cirone was hired as the head coach of the Judson University women's basketball team.[13] She left the school in 2018 as the third-winningest coach in program history in both wins, 82, and winning percentage (.439).[14]

References
  1. Erick Stock (31 January 2019). "ISU's Cirone Set To Join MVC Hall Of Fame". WGLT. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  2. Matt Stout (16 June 2009). "WNBA: Cirone coming home as Sun visit Sky". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. Patricia Babcock McGraw (13 March 2009). "Illinois State's Cirone does it all - and asks for more". Daily Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  4. "POINTS OF PRIDE". www.goredbirds.com. Retrieved 3 Oct 2015.
  5. "ACADEMIC AWARDS". goredbirds.com. Retrieved 3 Oct 2015.
  6. "CIRONE, ELDRIDGE NAMED 2008-09 ISU ATHLETES OF THE YEAR". goredbirds.com. August 16, 2009. Retrieved 3 Oct 2015.
  7. Greg Halbleib (15 August 2018). "Cirone to be inducted into Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame". WJBC. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  8. "Women's Basketball Player stats". NCAA. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  9. "Ex-ISU women's star Cirone signs with Greek team". Pantagraph.com. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  10. Associated Press (19 June 2009). "Ex-ISU women's star Cirone waived by WNBA's Sun". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  11. Randy Reinhardt (14 October 2009). "ISU women's basketball notes: Cirone still trying to catch on with a pro team". The Pantagraph. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  12. Scott Gleeson (8 February 2011). "Catching up with Kristi Cirone". videtteonline.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  13. "Cirone, Cotton to lead Judson basketball programs". dhbusinessledger.com. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  14. "Kristi Cirone Resigns As Women's Head Basketball Coach at Judson University". whoopdirt.com. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
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