SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State women's basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton filled her three assistant coaching positions Wednesday, tabbing Franqua (Fran-SWAH) Bedell (buh-DELL), Seth Minter and Tori Jankoska (jan-KOSS-kuh) to join the Lady Bear staff. 

"I am extremely excited about my staff," Coach Mox said of her assistants. "All three are great coaches with high character and integrity. I am certain they will contribute in multiple areas as they are hard-working, self-motivated individuals with a wealth of knowledge and experience!"

Hires are subject to final approval by the Missouri State Board of Governors at its next meeting on May 16.

Franqua Bedell
A national championship coach at the junior college level with over 15 years of collegiate experience, Franqua "Coach Q" Bedell spent the six seasons prior to his arrival at MSU as the head coach at Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, where he won the NJCAA Division I national title in 2018. Bedell was the Spalding NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Coach of the Year that season after leading Tallahassee to a school-record 29 wins. He finished his six-year stint at TCC with a 124-62 record, and coached a pair of NJCAA first-team All-Americans.

"I'm extremely humbled and honored to be a part of Coach Mox's staff at Missouri State, and thankful to be coming back home to Springfield," said Bedell. "MSU is a special place. I am excited to continue the wonderful winning tradition and be part of such a great school and community. Coach Mox is one of the up-and-coming coaches in the country. Her 'FAB' approach is something I preached at TCC, and my family and I are thankful and excited to join her at MSU."

After spending part of his childhood in Springfield, Bedell graduated from Fort Smith (Ark.) Southside High School, and attended the University of the Ozarks, in Clarksville, Ark., where he lettered in basketball and earned a bachelor's degree in general studies in 1999. He went on to obtain a master's degree in sports and recreation management from Hardin-Simmons in 2001, where he also coached during the 1999-00 season.

Upon graduating from Hardin-Simmons, Bedell returned to Fort Smith, where he began his coaching career in earnest as an assistant at his prep rival, Northside High School. In two seasons, he helped guide Northside to a 55-5 overall record and 26-2 mark in conference play. The 2001-02 season culminated with the Class 5A state championship and a No. 3 national ranking by USA Today.

Bedell's first Division I stop followed at Southeast Missouri State from 2003-06, where he helped the Redhawks post the program's best overall and conference records as a Division I program, and assisted in the recruitment of future OVC Player of the Year Tatiana Conceicao.

He moved to Southeastern Illinois College from 2006-08, helping the Falcons to a fourth-place national finish as an assistant coach in 2007. Bedell was promoted to head coach for the 2007-08 season, and guided SIC to a 33-4 record and No. 6 national ranking, coaching a pair of All-Americans and earning conference, region, and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. He also served as athletic director and fitness director during the 2007-08 academic year.
That success earned Bedell a job as an assistant coach at Mississippi State, where he spent four seasons from 2008-12. In 2009, his first year on staff, the Bulldogs qualified for their first NCAA Tournament in six years, and then advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever in 2010 after a third-place Southeastern Conference finish, the best in school history at the time. He helped secure a pair of top-50 recruiting classes in Starkville and developed three WNBA draft picks.

Bedell spent the 2012-13 season an assistant coach and recruiting specialist at Virginia Commonwealth, where he helped sign the 38th-ranked recruiting class nationally and No. 1 group in the Atlantic 10. 

Bedell's work with students goes well beyond the basketball court. While at Southeast Missouri State, he received SEMO's Faculty and Staff Award in 2006 for his work in student support services, an award voted on by students and given to the faculty and/or staff member who could be counted on most. He also spent time as a student guidance counselor, student ambassador, resident assistant director, academic advisor and student activities director during his college days.

Bedell is an active member of the WBCA and Black Coaches Association.

He is married to the former Crystal Ness, and has a son, Amir, born in February 2019.

Coach Mox on Bedell:
"Coach Q is a proven winner. He has won at every level. He brings head coaching experience, recruiting ties, and player development, along with many other attributes. Being a Springfield native, he has tremendous recruiting connections, community relationships in the city, and also in surrounding states."


Seth Minter
Seth Minter comes to Missouri State after spending eight years at Western Illinois, the last seven as Associate Head Coach. He serves as recruiting coordinator on Coach Mox's staff.

"I am beyond blessed and excited for the opportunity to join the rich tradition of women's basketball at Missouri State," said Minter. "I am thankful to Kyle Moats, Casey Hunt, and most importantly Coach Mox for the opportunity to join her staff at such an amazing institution and community. Missouri State offers so many great opportunities for student-athletes, and I can't wait to be a part of Coach Mox's vision to help maintain and expand on the great history of this program."
 
Minter was integral to some of the best seasons in Western Illinois history, including the top six scoring seasons at WIU. In 2014-15, the Leathernecks ended a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons, earning a third-place Summit League finish, and translated that success into a second round WBI appearance the next year for the first postseason win in school history.

Western Illinois won a school-record 26 games in 2016-17, sweeping the Summit League regular season and tournament titles for the school's first NCAA Tournament berth in 22 years, and defeated 18th-ranked Stanford on the road early in the 2017-18 campaign for WIU's first-ever ranked win on the way to a 22-win season and WNIT bid for a third consecutive postseason appearance.

While at WIU, Minter recruited and coached 15 all-Summit League selections, six all-Newcomer Team members, two conference players of the year and two conference newcomers of the year. Additionally, Ashley Luke earned CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year honors in 2015, highlighting a culture of academic excellence that saw the Leathernecks post the second-highest GPA in the nation (3.75) in 2017-18.
   
Originally from Lancaster, Mo., Minter was the head women's coach at Culver-Stockton during the 2010-11 season, leading the Wildcats to five conference wins after the program combined for just five league victories previous three seasons. Culver-Stockton saw a significant offensive improvement during his one season, and the team GPA increased from 2.7 to 3.3 with four Academic All-Americans.
 
Prior to the collegiate ranks, Minter coached three years at Canton (Mo.) High School, posting a 77-13 (.856) overall record. He earned a total of six coach of the year awards from four organizations, guiding Canton to a No. 1 state ranking in 2008-09, a runner-up state finish that same season, and fourth-place finish in 2010 after CHS had not advanced to the state tournament since 1977.

Minter received his bachelor's degree in physical education and health from Culver-Stockton in 2006. He earned his master's degree in educational administration from William Woods in 2010. He and his wife Jami have a daughter, Addilyn, and a son, Jase.

Coach Mox on Minter:
"Coach Minter will be my recruiting coordinator. Seth is an extremely organized, driven student of the game. He brings a wealth of knowledge, from Xs and Os to recruiting to player mentorship. He is great with data analytics and truly enjoys the grind. Seth is also a Missouri native, which will help us in the community, in recruiting, and beyond."


Tori Jankoska
The all-time leading scorer at Michigan State, Tori Jankoska reunites with Coach Mox on the staff at Missouri State. 

"I am extremely excited for this opportunity to join the Lady Bear family," said Jankoska. "The program is rich in tradition and knows how to win. I had an incredible experience with Coach Mox as one of my assistant coaches during my time playing at Michigan State, and I am thrilled to now be a part of her staff at Missouri State."

Jankoska, who was the ninth overall pick of the Chicago Sky in the 2017 WNBA draft and spent the 2017-18 season playing professionally for the Polish club Basket Gdynia, joined the college coaching ranks in 2018-19 as the Director of Recruiting Operations and Player Personnel at Maryland, where she helped the Terrapins to a 29-5 overall record and Big Ten regular season title.

A four-time all-Big Ten selection at Michigan State, she finished her career as the Spartans' all-time leader in points (2,212), 3-pointers (320) and free throws (478), while ranking second with 489 assists and 707 field goals. She averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in her college career.

Jankoska earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press and Women's Basketball Coaches Association following a spectacular senior season in East Lansing. The Freeland, Mich., native set MSU season records with 746 points and 122 3-pointers in 2016-17, added the single-game scoring record with 42 points against Ohio State, and recorded a triple-double versus Minnesota, finishing the season with averages of 22.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists.

After college, Jankoska represented the United States in the World University Games in August 2017 in Taiwan, before beginning her professional career in Poland.

Jankoska earned her psychology degree from Michigan State in December 2016.

Coach Mox on Jankoska:
"Tori is a go-getter and one of the most competitive, hard-working people I have ever been around. Her playing accolades speak for themselves. From being the all-time leading scorer in Michigan State women's basketball history to a top 10 WNBA draft pick, she was a phenomenal player! She has tremendous knowledge of the game and will be able to contribute on both sides of the ball. She will be a living example for our Lady Bears of how hard work and dedication to the process can pay off."