Brooke Atkinson is in her fourth season as a full-time assistant coach on the South Dakota women's basketball staff.
Atkinson helped lead the Coyotes their first ever NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2014. The Coyotes lost to eventual Final Four team Stanford 81-62 in the first round. She was also an assistant for South Dakota during its WBI semifinals run in 2013. USD lost to eventual champion McNeese State.
She has also helped the Coyotes to their first Summit League Tournament title in 2014, topping Denver 81-72 in the tournament finals. The previous season, Atkinson helped coach USD to the league tournament final in its first season of eligibility.
Atkinson helped the 'Yotes to the Summit League championship game and the WBI semifinals during the 2012-13 season. It was the third consecutive postseason appearance. USD finished 19-16 and third in the Summit League with a 10-6 record.
In her first season, Atkinson helped the Coyotes to a 23-8 record and a trip to the WNIT. The Coyotes were 12-6 in the Summit League and finished third in their first year in the conference.
Atkinson has extensive experience in the Division I coaching ranks, having spent the eight seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico State University.
At New Mexico State, Atkinson was involved in all aspects of the program, from recruiting to game and practice coaching duties to coordinating the team's offense to scouting. She helped the Aggies reach three Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship games, and in 2009-10, helped New Mexico State reach the postseason for the first time since 1994 when it qualified for the WNIT.
She also earned the 2008 Outstanding Coach Award. Atkinson played at the Division I level for two seasons at Wichita State, where she appeared in 46 games from 2000-02. She set a school record with six 3-pointers in one game. She played her first two years at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, Neb.
Atkinson is a 2003 graduate of Wichita State, where she earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She earned her master's degree in educational curriculum from New Mexico State in 2008.
