Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
Candi Whitaker returns as the head coach of Kansas City Women's Basketball, as was announced on Mar. 11, 2026. The 18-year head coaching veteran returns to familiar territory as Whitaker took the reins of the Roos back in 2006 and led Kansas City for six seasons as the seventh head coach in program history. Whitaker now becomes the Roos' 11th head coach since joining Division I in 1987-88.
"We are delighted to welcome Coach Whitaker back to Kansas City," Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Dr. Brandon Martin said. "She has a proven body of work as a program builder, elite recruiter, and positive role model for student-athletes. Coach Whitaker is familiar with the landscape here in Kansas City and will undoubtedly have a strong presence in the campus and local community. I look forward to partnering with her in building a championship-level program that our fan base will appreciate and support."
Whitaker made her mark on Kansas City in her first run with the Roos, becoming one of two head coaches in program history to lead the team to two 11-plus win seasons in conference play during her tenure. Whitaker also tallied 78 wins in her first six seasons with the Roos, the third most for a head coach in school history at the Division I level.
"It is a tremendous honor to once again have the opportunity to take over the program here at Kansas City. This place means so much to me. It's where I got my first head coaching job at twenty-six and where Matt and I started our family," Whitaker said. "In many ways, it shaped me for all that would lie ahead on my coaching journey. I could not be more excited to be back and to get to work to elevate this program once again."
Coaching Rundown
- 262 head coaching wins
- 2010 WBI qualifier at Kansas City
- 2012 WNIT qualifier at Kansas City
- Three NCAA Division I Tournament appearances as an assistant coach (2003, 2004, 2013)
- Two NCAA Division II Tournament qualifications (2022, 2024)
- 2022 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance
- 2024 MIAA Regular Season Championship
- 2024 MIAA Coach of the Year
"I am deeply grateful to Dr. Martin and Chancellor Agrawal for their visionary leadership and investment in this Women's Basketball program," Whitaker said. "It was very clear to me from the beginning of our conversations that there is a commitment to win here and to do so in a way that is sustainable over the long haul. This is a fan base that loves college basketball and we look forward to building a program that makes this city proud. My family and I are thrilled to be back and call Kansas City home once more. Go Roos!"
Whitaker first came to Kansas City in 2004, serving as an assistant coach under Bo Overton, a position she stayed in until her promotion to head coach in the middle of the 2006-07 season.
In her third full season at the helm, Whitaker guided the Roos to a 12-6 record in conference play, the most wins in a single season at the time and still tied for the second-most in program history. The historic season culminated in Kansas City's first NCAA postseason berth as the Roos earned a spot in the Women's Basketball Invitational.
The 2011-12 season was a special one as Whitaker led the Roos to a 22-12 overall record, 11-7 in conference play. At the time, it was KC's second-ever 20-plus win campaign and the school's first since 1991-92. After historic regular season campaign, the Roos entered the 2012 Summit League Championship as the three-seed.
Kansas City took down sixth-seeded Oakland and seventh-seeded Western Illinois en route to their second-ever trip to a conference title game, where the Roos took top-seeded South Dakota State to overtime. Whitaker once again led the Roos to the postseason stage, earning a spot in the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
"I'm incredibly excited to welcome Coach Whitaker and her family back home to Kansas City," said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC. "It's been a joy to follow her career as she's led teams on multiple levels to winning records. I know her enthusiasm for women's basketball and for Kansas City will be another defining factor for Kansas City Athletics."
KC's postseason berths in 2010 and 2012 remain historic for the program as Whitaker is one of just two coaches in school history to carry the Roos to multiple postseason appearances past a conference tournament in KC's 39-year history at the Division I level. As a whole, Whitaker has led a team to the postseason seven times, four of which came as a head coach. She is no stranger to the Big Dance, having led or been on the staff of five NCAA Tournament teams, three of which came at the Division I level as an assistant coach in 2003, 2004 and 2013.
In her first stint with the Roos, Coach Whitaker recruited, coached and developed four of Kansas City's 1,000 point scorers including the program's all-time leading scorer Chazny Morris, who totaled 1,806 points in 118 career games from 2006-10. Coach Whitaker also recruited and mentored Elise O'Connor (2010-14), Kim Nezianya (2009-14) and Dayon Hall-Jones (2009-2012) with the group holding a combined seven all-conference selections. Nezianya also holds Roos' all-time records in career games played at 129 and career rebounds, hauling in 952 boards.
Whitaker was most recently the head coach at North Alabama, where she spent the last two seasons. In this past season, Whitaker led the Lions to a 17-14 overall record and went 11-7 in ASUN play, the program's best finish since 2019-20. Following the 2025-26 campaign, Whitaker has amassed a career coaching record of 262-253, just recently completing her 18th season as a head coach.
Whitaker knows what it takes to win in this region, spending 11 seasons as a head coach in the state of Missouri. In 2019, Whitaker took to the Division II level, anchoring Missouri Western State to four 20-plus win seasons, building up a .680 winning percentage across her five years in St. Joseph. Whitaker led the Griffons to the Elite Eight in 2022, pulling off three straight victories over higher-seeded opponents to pull MWSU to their best postseason finish since 1995.
Whitaker later steered the Griffons to the MIAA Regular Season title in 2023-24 and took home the MIAA Coach of the Year award following a 25-6 record that year and a second trip to the NCAA DII Tournament in three seasons. Whitaker went 100-47 overall and 70-37 in conference play through five tremendously successful years at Missouri Western State.
A native of Canyon, Texas, Whitaker took control of her alma mater Texas Tech prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. Whitaker helped guide the Red Raiders to a pair of quarterfinal appearances in 2016 and 2017. In the latter season, Texas Tech earned their first-ranked win in over four seasons as the Red Raiders beat No. 18 West Virginia 76-66. Whitaker coached 11 Academic All-Big 12 players in her five seasons in Lubbock, Texas.
Following her first stint with the Roos, Whitaker departed for Oklahoma State, where she became the associate head coach for the following 2012-13 season. Whitaker was a part of a staff that guided the Cowgirls to a 22-11 record and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For Whitaker, it was the third time in her career that she's been a part of an NCAA Tournament team as an assistant coach. The first two came from her three-year assistant coaching tenure at Valparaiso in 2002-04.
---- FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM WHITAKER'S FIRST KANSAS CITY TENURE ----
A firm believer in the development of student-athletes both on and off the court, Whitaker's tutelage has led to professional playing contracts for Chazny Morris and Alyssa Klein. Additionally, her teams have excelled in the classroom, as every student-athlete who has completed eligibility under Whitaker has graduated from UMKC. She has coached 36 Summit League Academic all-League selections and 14 Distinguished Scholars and her teams have consistently finished in the top-three of all athletic teams at KC in the Life Skills Challenge, a friendly competition centered on community service and personal and professional development.
In 2010-11, Whitaker led the 'Roos to a 14-16 record overall and a 9-9 mark in Summit League play, including wins over Oral Roberts and IPFW, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the league. During the season, the 'Roos were crowned champions of the Lady Osprey Holiday Tournament, where freshman Eilise O'Connor was named Tournament MVP. Under her guidance as a former point guard, Whitaker helped guide O'Connor to a spot on The Summit League all-Newcomer Team, while fellow freshman Ashli Hill made her mark on the defensive end, setting the KC freshman record with 72 blocks, the fourth most all-time in a season in school history.
Off the court, the Kangaroos had one of their most successful seasons under Whitaker, as nine 'Roos were named to The Summit League Winter/Spring Academic all-League Team, six were named to the Comissioner's List of Academic Excellence and two were named Distinguished Scholars.
During the 2009-10 campaign, Whitaker led the Kangaroos to their first post season tournament berth of the Division I era, when Kansas City was invited to participate in the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational. Her squad closed out the year with a 16-16 overall record, including the first win over Drake in KC history, with the .500 winning percentage being the second best for the program since its admittance into The Summit League. Whitaker also guided the `Roos to a 12-6 league record and a fourth place finish in the league standings, including the first win in school history over South Dakota State on Jan. 11. The 12 league victories were the most in school history, while the .667 winning percentage was the second best all-time.
Under Whitaker's guidance, Kansas City advanced to the semifinals of The Summit League Basketball Championship, as it knocked off No. 5 seed North Dakota State, 76-75, in overtime. Whitaker closed out the 2009-10 season as the second winningest coach in school history.
Whitaker coached Morris to First Team all-Summit League honors, and the guard finished as the school record holder for career points. Whitaker's student-athletes also excelled in the classroom, as six earned Summit League Winter/Spring Academic all-League honors, while three were named to the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.
In the 2008-09 season, Whitaker recorded a then career-high 12 wins and seven Summit League victories, highlighted by an appearance at The Summit League Championship. She guided her young squad to a 12-18 record on the year and went 7-11 in league play.
During a Jan. 3 contest against Western Illinois, Whitaker saw Morris net her 1,000-career point, as the guard became just the seventh player in school history to surpass the scoring milestone. Morris went on to earn first team all-league honors and Summit League Player of the Week honors in December. In the classroom, Whitaker had seven players earn Summit League Winter/Spring Academic all-League honors and two were named to the Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence.
During the 2007-08 season, Whitaker led her squad to an 11-20 overall record, highlighted by a semifinal appearance at The Summit League Championship. With the Kangaroos 3-15 finish in league play, Kansas City entered the Championship as the No. 7 seed, where it set up a match-up against No. 2 seed Western Illinois. Whitaker led her team to the 62-55 upset of the Leathernecks, a feat they couldn’t accomplish in two games during the regular season, to advance. The Kangaroos couldn’t keep their momentum, however, as they suffered a tight 54-42 semifinal loss to IUPUI.
Whitaker had a plethora of athletes earn honors for both their work on the floor and in the classroom. Alysa Klein was named to The Summit League all-Tournament team and earned second team all-league honors along with Morris. Morris was also recognized as The Summit League Player of the Week on Dec. 4, 2007. Whitaker also had three student-athletes named to The Summit League’s Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence and had eight student-athletes land on the Winter/Spring Academic all-League team.
Whitaker took over on the sidelines for Bo Overton on Dec. 11, 2006, and compiled an 8-11 record for the Kangaroos, while being one of the youngest head coaches in the nation at 26. In Mid-Con play, she guided her squad to a 6-8 overall record and a tie for fifth place in the Mid-Con regular season standings.
A trio of players earned all-league honors under Whitaker’s tutelage. Klein was selected as a first team all-conference selection, while Stephanie Brown was an honorable mention all-league honoree. Morris, meanwhile, was selected to the all-newcomer squad and she was named the Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year.
From 2004-06, Whitaker served as an assistant coach for the Kangaroos under Overton. During the 2005-06 campaign, KC improved three games in the Mid-Con regular season race, as they finished with an even 8-8 mark. In the regular season finale, Kansas City became one of two league teams to post a win at Western Illinois, a venue where the WIU had previously won 46-consecutive games.
Whitaker guided Brown to first team all-conference and all-newcomer honors and the junior was selected as the Mid-Con Newcomer of the Year. The forward was the first Kansas City player to be awarded the accomplishment.
In her inaugural year in Kansas City, Whitaker helped guide the Kangaroos to the championship game of the 2005 Mid-Continent Tournament. Overall, KC finished 10-20 overall and 5-11 in the league.
Under her guidance, three players earned all-conference honors. Katie Houlehan was a first team all-league selection, while Klein was named to the all-newcomer team. Houlehan, Klein and Sammi Knapic were all selected to the 2005 Mid-Con all-Tournament team.
Prior to her appointment at Kansas City, Whitaker spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Valparaiso. While at Valpo, she helped the team to two straight Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament berths and two 20-win seasons. The NCAA appearances were the first in the history of the school.
Whitaker arrived at Valparaiso after playing at Texas Tech for two seasons (2000-02). She led the team to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances as the Lady Raiders’ starting point guard under legendary coach Marsha Sharp.
Prior to her two seasons at Texas Tech, she played two years at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan., where her team was ranked No. 1 in the nation in 1999-2000 after finishing fifth nationally the season before.
Whitaker was named an Honorable Mention National Junior College Athletic Association all-American after she averaged a double-double in assists and points. She also led the nation in assists under Head Coach Jim Littell in 99-00. Whitaker was also a member of the NJCAA National Team that played in Europe.
A prolific playmaker, Whitaker finished her career with more than 830 assists in four years of collegiate basketball.
Whitaker earned a Bachelor of Exercise Sports Science from Texas Tech in 2002 and a Master's in Sports Administration from Valparaiso in 2004. She is married to her husband Matt Whitaker and the pair have three children: Westin, William and Challahan.
