Bucknell University Athletics
Corey Laster Added to Bucknell Women's Basketball Staff
7/19/2007 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 19, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell head women's basketball coach Kathy Fedorjaka on Thursday announced the addition of assistant coach Corey Laster to the Bison staff. The veteran mentor who has five years of head-coaching experience comes to Bucknell after two years as the head women's basketball coach at Defiance College.
Laster, who is a 1993 graduate of Taylor University, helped orchestrate an impressive eight-win turnaround during his two years as the Yellow Jackets' head coach. After posting a 6-20 record his first campaign, Defiance improved to 14-11 last year when four players earned all-conference recognition, including Rookie of the Year. Overall, Laster tutored six all-conference honorees, including the co-MVP in 2005-06, in his two seasons at Defiance.
"I am very excited to welcome Corey to the Bucknell family," commented Fedorjaka, the 2007 Patriot League Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. "He brings a great deal of experience, energy and enthusiasm to our program and has a track record of success. I anticipate Corey and his family will be great fits with both the Bucknell and Lewisburg communities."
Prior to his stint at Defiance, Laster spent two years as the top assistant at Saint Michael's College. There, he had a hand in every aspect of the program, including recruiting, fundraising, team conditioning and camps.
Laster got his start in coaching at his alma mater in 2000 when he served as the head women's basketball coach at Taylor for three years. He turned around the Falcon program, inheriting a squad that went 4-20 prior to his arrival and leading it to a 25-3 record and a fifth-place showing in the National Small College Athletic Association in 2002-03.
Laster arrived at Taylor in 1999 as the associate dean of students, a role he held simultaneous with his head coaching position for one season. Also while coaching at Taylor, Laster spent a pair of years as the community extension director at the Fellowship Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. There, he ran outreach programs for area youth and supervised community-based outreach programs for the church of more than 3,500 people. Additionally, Laster ran the late-night basketball leagues for the church.
In addition to those duties, Laster's track record of leadership also includes a stint as the interim multicultural director at Saint Michael's.
Laster earned his bachelor's degree in counseling and psychology from Taylor in 1993. He followed that with a master's degree in student personnel administration from Ball State University.
A native of Anderson, Ind., Laster played college basketball at Taylor, where he ended his four-year career as one of the school's all-time leading scorers and rebounders.
At Bucknell, Laster will focus much of his efforts on recruiting. Additionally, he will also take part in scouting and player development, focusing on the post players.
Laster joins a Bison squad that won the Patriot League regular-season title and won 20 games for the third time in program history in 2006-07.
