Amellia Bromenschemkel starts coaching career as Northern Iowa assistant

Mendota graduate Amellia Bromenschenkel can’t “imagine a future without being involved in some way with (basketball).”

So as her career at Purdue-Fort Wayne was winding down, she debated whether to pursue a career playing overseas or get involved in coaching.

“I decided whatever the best offer was is what I was going to take,” Bromenschenkel said.

It turned out, the best offer came in coaching.

Bromenschenkel was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Iowa.

“It’s a great school and great program, so I’m super excited,” Bromenschenkel said.

Bromenschenkel said while “at the end of the day, coaching is my future,” it was hard to give up playing basketball.

“Playing would have been a really fun and cool experience, but the coaching world can be tough to get into sometimes,” Bromenschenkel said. “So I didn’t want to not take this offer and not be able to get into it. A lot of people start off at lower positions. This is a really great position I got offered, so I couldn’t really turn it down, but it was a little sad that I wasn’t playing anymore.”

Bromenschenkel joins a well-established program led by veteran head coach Tanya Warren.

Warren has led the Panthers to a 339-244 record in 18 seasons, holds the record for career Missouri Valley Conference wins, is a three-time MVC Coach of the Year and has guided UNI to postseason appearances in 15 of the last 16 seasons, including three NCAA Tournament berths and a run to the Women’s NIT semifinals in 2021.

“That was a big factor in why I chose to take the job,” Bromenschenkel said about the opportunity to work under Warren. “She’s a Division I basketball legend. She’s been here for so long and created such a great program. She’s an inspiration to people who want to coach and just people in the sports world in general, so I’m super excited to work with her.”

In a news release, Warren said Bromenschenkel was a good fit for the position, which was just added to the UNI staff.

“Amellia’s work ethic, passion and attention to detail allowed her to improve with each season (at Purdue-Fort Wayne), ultimately leading her team to the top of the Horizon League,” Warren said. “We know she’ll bring that same drive and commitment to our staff and players, and we’re looking forward to the positive impact she’ll have on our program.”

Bromenschenkel said she feels her playing career at Purdue-Fort Wayne will help her as she moves into coaching.

“Throughout playing, I think being a leader on the court has developed for me naturally,” Bromenschenkel said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be a yeller, but I think I can lead. My experiences playing will help me transition to coaching really easily. I’ve got a lot of Division I experience. I’ve played some big schools, some small schools. I think I’m a pretty well-rounded player, and it will lead to me being a pretty good coach.”

She hopes to be a positive influence on players.

“All of my coaches throughout the years have really had a big impact on me, and I’d like to be someone like that for future players someday,” Bromenschenkel said.

During her career at Purdue-Fort Wayne, Bromenschenkel appeared in a program-record 147 games, finishing top 10 in school history in points (1,536), rebounds (516), steals (183) and blocks (80) and earning All-Horizon League honors three times.

In her final season in 2024-25, Bromenschenkel started all 36 games and averaged 11.4 points as she helped the Mastodons finish 27-9 and reach the WNIT Great 8.

“It went by pretty fast,” Bromenschenkel said about her college career. “It was honestly super amazing. It was such a great experience being able to be in college while traveling around the United States and out of the States and sometimes getting to play in the huge arenas you saw on TV growing up. Getting to do all those things was such a cool experience.

“I could never stop being grateful for it.”

Bromenschenkel was a two-time NewsTribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year at Mendota as a sophomore and junior before foregoing her senior season during COVID-19 to enroll early at Purdue-Fort Wayne. She scored 1,752 points in high school.