Head Coach Taren Martin

Taren Martin, formerly the director of women’s basketball operations at Illinois State University, has been named the new Eureka College women’s basketball head coach, Director of Athletics Paul Bryant announced during a news conference at the Reagan Center on May 18, 2010.  Martin is the ninth head coach in program history and just the fourth women’s basketball head coach at Eureka since 1982.

A native of Savannah, Mo., Martin comes to Eureka after spending the last 10 seasons as a player and member of the coaching staff at Illinois State.  She began her four-year playing career for the Redbirds in 2000, eventually helping ISU to one of its largest turnarounds in program history.  As a senior during the 2003-04 season, Martin averaged 11.4 points, 4.6 assists and 2.6 steals per game in leading the Redbirds to a fifth place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference and a 16-13 record, a nine-win improvement from the previous season and team’s best record since 1996-97. 

Martin received Illinois State’s Jill Hutchison Endowed Scholarship in 2003 and the Jill Hutchison Coach’s Award for leadership and performance for her efforts during her senior season.  Martin was the first Illinois State player to record 300 assists, 250 made free throws, 150 steals and 100 three-point field goals.

Illinois State’s first director of women’s basketball operations, Martin began her coaching career in 2004 while pursuing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication.  In addition to her coaching duties, Martin oversaw the day-to-day operations of the program and did tireless work behind the scenes.  She also developed communication plans, organized day-to-day activities, public relations and marketing.  The Redbirds made four trips to the postseason during Martin’s tenure at Illinois State, including back-to-back WNIT semifinal appearances in 2009 and 2010.

“We’re very excited to welcome Coach Martin to Eureka College to lead our women’s basketball program,” Bryant said.  “We are privileged to have chosen someone with Taren’s experience.  She will bring a new level of professionalism and vigor to the Red Devils.”

Formerly Taren O’Brien, she married Patrick Martin in 2005.  They have a two-year-old daughter, Ryleigh, and a one-year-old son, Jackson.

Assistant Coach Randy Crady

No stranger to the Eureka College athletics department, Randy Crady will join the women’s basketball coaching staff for the first time in 2009-10.  Crady has served as the only head coach for the men’s and women’s soccer teams since the Red Devils began fielding a team at the NCAA Division III level in the fall of 2007.

Crady graduated from Bradley University in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in speech education and earned a master’s degree from Illinois State in 1980.  As a Brave, he played basketball and track and was inducted into Bradley’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.  In 2007, he was named to the All-Centennial Team by the Missouri Valley Conference as a member of the league’s track and field team.

With the rank of Sergeant Major, Crady retired in 1997 after 24 years in the U.S. Army Reserves.  He served at the Peoria Public Schools Youth Farm for 35 years prior to starting his time at Eureka.

Crady resides in Germantown Hills with his wife, Trish.  They have three children, Michael (25), David (22) and Annette (19).  Michael serves as an assistant coach on Crady’s soccer staff and David will return for his third season on the EC soccer team in 2010.