Jodi Steyer Retires From Coaching

AMES, Iowa – After 24 seasons with Iowa State women's basketball and 31 years in coaching, Cyclone associate head coach Jodi Steyer is retiring.

Steyer announced her retirement from coaching on April 22 with a statement on social media, noting "this time last year, I decided this season would be my last so I could focus on family responsibilities. Since that time, my dad passed away which reinforced retirement was the right choice."

pic.twitter.com/K0TJxVU4qt
— Jodi Steyer (@isucyclone) April 22, 2026

"I want to congratulate Jodi on her retirement," said head coach Bill Fennelly in a statement via social media. "In my opinion, she has been one of the best assistant coaches in the country."

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In her time with the Cyclones, Steyer was part of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, a trip to the Elite Eight, three Sweet 16s and a Big 12 Tournament title. But the success she experienced on the bench at ISU was only a small part of what defined a fruitful career.

Steyer was a standout as a four-year letterwinner and starter at Colorado State. She finished her career as the Rams' all-time leading scorer (1,598 points) and was a three-time all-conference honoree. After graduation, Steyer helped CSU men's basketball coach Fred Litzenberger prepare for and work camps in the summer of 1989. Litzenberger and Bill Fennelly, Toledo's women's head coach at the time, crossed paths at Fresno State. That summer, Fennelly was looking for an assistant coach and called Litzenberger for intel on an assistant on CSU's women's staff that was from Iowa. However, she had already left CSU to take another job, but Litzenberger suggested Fennelly talk to Steyer. Fennelly brought her out for an interview and offered her the job.

"Deb (Fennelly) now admits she thought I was too young at 22," joked Steyer. "And to that, I made the blunder of admitting I wasn't sure if I wanted the job as I hadn't had a great end to my playing career. Even after he offered, I had to have my parents convince me to 'try it for a year.' So, I guess you can say it was meant to be as I began as his only assistant and learned so much and loved it!"

"Jodi interviewed and Deb said 'she is great, but she is so young, and we only have one assistant,'" recalled Fennelly of Steyer's interview. "But we both agreed that Jodi was by far the best fit for us."

In early years on the sideline together at Toledo, Fennelly and Steyer enjoyed much success, helping the Rockets to three NCAA Tournaments, five MAC Championships and a 141-45 (.758) overall record. Fennelly's success attracted his home state's attention, and in July 1995, Iowa State announced him as its sixth women's basketball head coach.

"Honestly, Iowa State broke my heart and hired Bill," said Steyer. "At the time, (my husband) Ed and I weren't in a situation to move, and I did not want to be an interim head coach at Toledo, so our athletic director allowed me to stay on staff with the new coach coming in who I was familiar with, Mark Ehlen."

Later that year, Steyer got pregnant with her and Ed's first child, a daughter, Jamie. She decided to step away from coaching at the end of the 1995-96 season to focus on her young family but stayed connected to the game through lessons and bookkeeping for a local basketball academy.

While the Fennellys had moved to Ames, the families remained close and the Steyers enjoyed several trips to Iowa. During one of the trips, Ed had arranged for an informal meeting with a consulting firm in Des Moines that ended with an offer for a job he did not know he was interviewing for. He accepted the job, and Jodi credits him as "the one who actually brought us to Iowa."

Pregnant with their second child, Eric, the Steyers moved west, but Jodi continued to prioritize time with her family. The proximity not only allowed her to reunite with the Fennellys but also assistant coach Latoja Schaben, who had been an All-American center for Fennelly and Steyer at Toledo. She worked camps and got to know players and assistants in her early days in Ames and quickly became a "die-hard" fan of the program.

"Bill was having his usual success and for good reason had assistants leaving for head coaching jobs," she recalled. "Upon hearing of one of his assistants getting a head job, I told Ed I was going to call Bill and see if there was a chance to get back in."

In a fitting twist, Fennelly beat her to the punch and called to set up a meeting before she could reach out to him.

"The first time I had an opening, her kids were too young to make the commitment it takes at this level. The second time, Deb and I walked over to their house and talked again, and she and Ed said the time was right."

"This time it was a mutual agreement that the timing was right, and I started on Jamie's sixth birthday," said Steyer.

Iowa State experienced much success early in Steyer's tenure, making postseason appearances in nine of her first 10 seasons on staff with seven trips to the NCAA Tournament and two to the WNIT.

"I remember the big wins where we were underdogs or on the road and there was that feeling that it was us against the world, and we got it done."

WBB vs. Michigan State 2008-09

One of those big wins, a 2009 NCAA Tournament contest against Michigan State with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, is a game that Steyer regards as one of her favorite on-court memories with Cyclone basketball. Widely regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in school history, ISU was down seven with 1:10 to play, and its chance of advancing looked slim. Nicky Wieben grabbed a rebound off an Amanda Nisleit miss and put it back, allowing Iowa State to put on a full-court press. The team forced a turnover and Heather Ezell banked in a 3-pointer, putting the Cyclones within two with 50 seconds to play.

"We had an amazing comeback at the end of the game with a press we hadn't utilized much. Aus (Alison Lacey) hit a huge three, then we needed to get a stop at the other end."

Lacey's triple put ISU up 69-68. Michigan State had three shots for the to win, but all three attempts bounced off the rim. It was an unbelievable win, sending the Cyclones to the Elite Eight for the second time in school history.

"The joy and relief was amazing."

Also among her core memories, snapping second-ranked Baylor's 58-game Big 12 winning streak on Senior Night in 2020. Right before "the world shut down" due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Cyclones pulled off the upset in Hilton Coliseum despite having to overcome some key injuries. With the game tied and just 1.0 second remaining on the clock, sophomore Ashley Joens was fouled in the act of shooting on an inbounds play. She knocked down her first free throw, securing the 57-56 victory.

In the 2024 NCAA Tournament, a young Cyclones squad that was "not expected to do much" overcame a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to take down Maryland, 93-86, marking the second-largest comeback in NCAA Women's Championship history.

On a more personal level, Steyer treasures the first time her parents watched Iowa State women's basketball in person during the 2024-25 season at UCF, a 98-73 win for the Cyclones. During her first 22 years with Iowa State, they had been faithful radio listeners.

"Also, from a family perspective, the first day Eric ran on the floor with a Cyclone uniform on is etched in my mind forever, and having Jamie call our women's basketball games on the radio are memories that I cherish."

Family has always been a key component to Fennelly's operation, one of the many things Steyer has embraced and emulated in three decades at his side.

Steyer, Schaben, Fennelly

"I'm so thankful he took the chance on a young, inexperienced assistant that just wanted to be involved with basketball and mentoring young people through some of the most important beginning stages of their adult life."

The staff of Fennelly, Steyer, Schaben, assistant Billy Fennelly and director of operations, Josh Carper were the longest-tenured staff in NCAA women's basketball. The group spent 17 seasons on the sidelines together. Prior to Steyer rejoining the staff in Ames, she and Fennelly worked to make sure Schaben would have a spot as an assistant on Fennelly's staff when her professional playing career wrapped up. Schaben rejoined Fennelly ahead of the 2001-02 season and helped ISU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament that year. Carper joined the women's staff in 2008 after five years with Iowa State men's basketball as a student manager and assistant for operations.

"When Josh came over from the men's side in the early years, we had already known him, and it was such a smooth transition. He had the same priorities and love of Iowa State and the program."

Following time as a Cyclone women's basketball student manager and stints at Northwestern and Maryland, Fennelly's eldest son, Billy, joined the group in a full-time capacity in 2010 as the director of player development before being elevated to an assistant coach in 2012.

"I'd known Billy from the early years in Toledo, so it was pretty neat to have him in an office next to me," said Steyer. "I still have vivid memories of him hanging out of the upper luggage rack of our team bus with Steven (Fennelly's younger son) at UT. I've basically watched them grow up like family."

Billy married future ISU Hall of Famer Lyndsey (Medders) and Josh married Cyclone All-American Kelsey (Bolte), something Steyer also credits to contributing to the family environment Iowa State is known for.

"There was always a comfort level that we knew each other so well. And it's not lost on us how rare it is in this profession to be together in one place for so long, but that is all thanks to Bill! His loyalty and success allowed us all to have a rare stability in this profession that is unheard of in present times."

That stability fostered an environment that attracted like-minded student-athletes as well. Fennelly coined the "Iowa State Way" early in his tenure, known now as the program's foundation built on the principles of academics, athletics and character. Steyer credits the Iowa State Way as one of the keys to helping young women develop to reach their full potential on and off the court.

"Outside people may think the 'Iowa State Way' is just a cliché, but those that embrace it make the most of their time here. They appreciate the amazing fan base, the culture and history of the program, being pushed to be the best versions of themselves that sometimes even they aren't aware they are capable of. They embrace the Ames community and realize they are playing for something bigger than themselves. The truly special ones all had that deep appreciation of where they were at and played for the person sitting next to them."

She also credits student-athletes as the reason she got into the business and the reason she stayed for so long.

Jodi Steyer, Bridget Carleton

"I had so many ups and downs in my playing career, and I decided I would like to help others navigate these short but valuable years of their lives when they are truly transitioning to adulthood."

"Iowa State women's basketball has become one of the most respected programs in the country on and off the court; that does not happen without Jodi," said Fennelly. "She has a relentless work ethic that she combines with a very high basketball IQ. Jodi connected with our players on a level you just don't see very often. She had a great ability to demand their best while showing them how much she cared about them."

Players who benefitted from Steyer's tutelage were not only successful on the court, they have prospered in a wide variety of career fields. Recently, Bridget Carleton has become the "face of the franchise" for the WNBA's Portland Fire. Lexi (Albrecht) Block is a family medicine doctor. Chelsea (Poppens) Preuss is a CEO and part of the ownership group for LOVB San Francisco. Brynn (Williamson) Fowler is the Senior Director of Operations and Compliance for Camber Mental Health. Ashley Joens accepted the girl's basketball head coaching position with Ankeny High School this spring.

"I found so much joy in seeing players grow and succeed on the court, and it makes me so proud to see their success in so many areas of life after college – motherhood, the business world, as teachers, social workers, doctors, lawyers, playing professionally, coaching; literally every profession you can think of and I'm proud to say they are part of our Cyclone Family!"

"The loyalty and commitment she gave Iowa State is rare in any industry, especially college sports," said Fennelly. "Jodi and her family are part of my family and it has been an honor to work with her for so many years."

Jodi Steyer Stanford Hotel Sendoff

While Steyer is hanging up her coach's whistle and will not be on the Cyclone bench in November, she plans to return to her role as a die-hard fan, still visible in the stands and the community with her husband, Ed. But the everyday interactions will look different, something she valued as the most memorable part of her position.

"When people came to the office for advice, asked for workouts, just to talk; those are the moments that probably meant the most. Quite honestly my last favorite memory was when I announced my retirement and heard from so many kind people, but especially messages from former players. That really meant a lot and gave me a stroll down memory lane that I will forever cherish. They were my 'why' and it was so meaningful to hear from them as I stepped away. It gave my time here great meaning and value, and I am forever grateful to them, Coach Fennelly, the staff I have worked with and all of Cyclone Nation for making Iowa State a true family experience for me and my whole family. We will forever be Cyclones!"

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