Bill Fennelly - Transforming Iowa State Basketball into a National Power

31-year Head Coach for the Iowa State Cyclones (WBB), Bill Fennelly joins this week's episode of Not Even D2​⁠. Coach Fennelly's 800 career wins is currently 3rd amongst all active coaches in women's basketball. Under Coach Fennelly the Cyclones have averaged 21 wins per season and have made 23 NCAA tournament appearences. Coach Fennelly came to Iowa State in 1995 from previously coaching Toledo (1988-1995). Fennelly has completely transformed the program in every aspect. The Cyclones have been revamped as a national contender year in and year out. The average fan attendance when Fennelly arrived was only 733/game, now the program gets on average 10,000/game. The Cyclones finished the 2024-25 season 23-12 (12-6 Big 12) with a First Four victory over Princeton before falling to Michigan in the Round of 64. With majority of the roster returning, including 3rd-team All-American Audi Crooks, the Iowa State program has high expectations going into the 2025-26 season.​⁠This episode covers a ton with Coach regarding coaching Audi, contract extension or retirement, Big 12 competition, and his motivations to keep evolving this late in his career. This episode is available wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcasts YouTube channel ​⁠@NotEvenD2 for more sports content. Enjoy the episode!Sneak Peak- 00:00-00:20Intro- 00:20-07:36Summer Activities, Family's Involvement with the Program- 07:36-11:13Building off of Last Year, 2025-26 Roster/Expectations, Helping Freshman Adjust during Summer Sessions- 11:13-15:21Takeaways from Last 2 March Madness Experiences- 15:21-19:40Recruiting Audi Crooks / Seeing Her Growth, Developing Post Players- 19:40-25:46Trust that Iowa State has in Coach Fennelly, Retirement?- 25:46-29:10"Iowa St. Way" Culture, Developing Fan Support throughout Career- 29:10-37:40Break- 37:40-37:50Biggest Changes in WBB through Different Eras- 37:50-41:11Scout Against Caitlyn Clark / Her Impact in Iowa, Game Against 2025 National Champions (UConn)- 41:11-46:19Thoughts Surrounding Big 12, Motivations Going into Year 31 Coaching the Cyclones- 46:19-51:15Rapid Fire (Favorite Cyclone Tradition(s), Unforgettable Game(s), Restaurants in Iowa w/ Not Even D2- 51:15-55:08Starting 5: Best Big 12 Players in the Last Decade- 55:08-57:10Outro- 57:10-57:46