The Big Ten ends the month of May with a pair of signings. One for a recent graduate and another for a coaching hire
On Tuesday, Indiana announced that Alexis Gassion signed a professional contract Kovuottaret, a member of Finland’s Korisliga league. Gassion will start her training with the team in September.
“I would like to thank my family and coaches who have gotten me to this point and can’t wait to experience a new level of competition,” she said in a statement published by Indiana.
As a senior, Gassion was named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team and an All-Big Ten honorable mention. Starting all 34 games this past winter, she averaged 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
Although Gassion didn’t receive any offers from a WNBA team this year, she graduated with a degree in human development and family studies.
Elsewhere, Iowa announced the hiring of Raina Harmon, who will join the program as an assistant coach. Harmon heads to Iowa after five seasons as an assistant at Central Michigan.
“She was an integral part of the success that Central Michigan achieved, and I’m excited to have her now impact our program on and off the court,” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said in a statement.
Highlights from Harmon’s tenure at Central Michigan include a regular season title in the Mid-American Conference this year, and a MAC tournament championship in 2013. A graduate of Central Michigan, Harmon is eager to begin her first assignment in a Power Five conference.
“Growing up in the Midwest, I’ve always been intrigued by the Big Ten, so the opportunity to coach in the conference is really exciting,” she said.
Iowa went 20-14 last season, reaching the quarterfinal round of the WNIT tournament.