SPRINGFIELD – Lady Bears head coach Beth Cunningham announced today the first addition to her coaching staff, associate head coach Darren Guensch.
 
Guensch (GINSH) comes to Missouri State following a three-year stint at the University of Richmond, where he coached the post players in addition to scheduling opponents for the Spiders. Guensch reunites with Coach Cunningham after serving under her at VCU from 2008-2012, first as her director of operations and then as her assistant coach. 

Guensch brings 10-plus years of Division I coaching experience as an assistant coach, including 2018-19 at Bucknell where he helped the team earn a school record 28 wins and a trip to the NCAA Tournament after winning the Patriot League title. He coached three all-conference and all-tournament team players, as the Bison went 15-1 at home and broke the school record for three-pointers made at 283.

Guensch spent two seasons as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at East Carolina, where he helped the Pirates to the largest turnaround in the American Athletic Conference with a five-win improvement in league play from the 2016-17 season to the 2017-18 season. The 2017 recruiting class played a large part in that turnaround, accounting for 67 percent of the team's points and 54 percent of its rebounds.

Prior to his time at East Carolina, Guensch spent six seasons as an assistant coach at three different Division I schools – College of Charleston (2014-16), UNCG (2012-14), and VCU (2010-12). He also held the title of recruiting coordinator at both College of Charleston and UNCG.

Guensch began his collegiate coaching career at VCU under Lady Bears head coach Beth Cunningham, where he spent the first two seasons as the director of basketball operations before being promoted to the coaching staff. The Rams went 86-47 during his four seasons with the team and qualified for four national postseason tournaments. They made their first ever NCAA Tournament in 2009 and followed that with three straight appearances in the WNIT.

Prior to his four years at VCU, Guensch served as the director of basketball operations for two seasons at George Mason from 2006-08.

Guensch graduated from Radford in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in exercise, sport and health education before earning a master's degree in the same discipline at George Mason in 2012.
 
He married his wife, Devon, in 2007 and the couple welcomed their first child, Miles, in 2011 and their second, Layna, in 2016.
 
 
Coach Cunningham on Guensch:
"I am thrilled to have Darren join me at Missouri State. I have known Darren a long time, having hired him and working with him at VCU. He is an incredible person, a family man and someone I can trust and count on. He is a relentless recruiter and has worked with great coaches throughout his career, most recently at the University of Richmond. Most importantly, he will have a huge impact with our players on the court and in their personal development. We are very lucky to have Darren, his wife Devon and their kids join the Lady Bear program."