AMES – When Caroline McCombs joined the Iowa State women’s basketball team’s coaching staff in April, she started researching her new team. She had previously followed the program’s success from afar, but now she dove into film from games a few years ago.
“As you’re watching film as a fan, it’s a little bit different than watching all the details that go into it,” McCombs said. “So, having that perspective as an outsider but also now on the inside, really looking into the details.”
McCombs has already picked up a lot of helpful hints. She’s hoping to put that knowledge to good use this season after being named the Cyclones’ new associate head coach, taking over for longtime coach Jodi Steyer who announced her retirement following the season.
“Just having the opportunity to be a part of his legacy is something I wanted to join in on,” McCombs said.
McCombs is a new member of the staff, but a familiar face to Fennelly. The two routinely ran into each other early in McCombs’ coaching career, which included jobs working as an assistant at Valparaiso, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Auburn.
She eventually landed head coaching jobs at Stony Brook and then George Washington. She didn’t just impress officials at those two schools. Fennelly was in awe of how McCombs was often the first at a gym to visit or watch recruits and, often, the last to leave.
“She just really worked at it,” Fennelly said.
She bonded with players and coaches, including Fennelly and his staff, while they were on the road over the years. Fennelly’s son, Billy, who currently works on Iowa State’s staff, was the director of basketball operations at Northwestern from 2008-2010. He left shortly after McCombs arrived, but was still checked in on his old team while she was there.
Because of the friendships, McCombs followed the Cyclones. She even turned in to watch Iowa State take on Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season. McCombs was hoping to send a congratulatory text to Bill Fennelly after the game.
But it never happened. Iowa State lost and Steyer retired. Fennelly figured McCombs would be the perfect fit for his staff. He already hoped to hire former Cyclone star Emily Ryan, who was working as a graduate assistant, after longtime assistant Latoja Schaben got a job at Texas State.
Needing some more experience to replace the voids of Schaben and Steyer, Fennelly hired McCombs who was in her second stint as an assistant at Auburn. Her successful career as an assistant and head coach, along with the fact that Fennelly knew her so well, made her the perfect fit for the job.
“She checked off everything and my staff knew her,” Fennelly said.
McCombs jumped at the opportunity after getting to know Fennelly and experiencing Iowa State first-hand when she brought her Stony Brook team to Ames early in her coaching career. She loved the atmosphere and the fact that the Cyclones are the main attraction in town.
“I think it’s something that everybody dreams of, is just playing in front of a sold-out crowd— people that love to come and support you,” McCombs said.
She was so eager to get to work that shortly after arriving in Ames, she tried to learn as much as she could about her new team. Watching film was the best way, she figured.
Some of the old games she viewed included Ryan running the point for the Cyclones. During those games, Iowa State used an up-tempo style that relied on heavy 3-point shooting.
McCombs was impressed by the play of Ryan and the elite basket-making ability of the Cyclones from beyond the arc. The fast-paced approach is something Iowa State has gotten away from in the last couple of seasons, instead revolving its game around center Audi Crooks.
With Crooks transferring to Oklahoma State this offseason, the Cyclones could revert to their old ways. McCombs is ready in case they do.
“I think as a head coach, a longtime coach, you’re going back to the things that you’re comfortable with,” McCombs said. “That’s just what we do as human beings. So, he’s going to go back to some of those things. Whether he knows it or not, yet, he’s going to want new ideas but he’s also got a comfort level of the things that he’s done in the past that he’s been successful with, so I want to kind of learn and understand what those things are.”
While Fennelly has rarely had to make coaching changes over the years, the timing of McCombs’ arrival could be perfect. McCombs had a history of helping two struggling programs during her time as a head coach. She led Stony Brook to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021 and guided George Washington, a rebuilding program, to 55 wins in four seasons.
“I just want to add value anyway that I can to our program,” McCombs said.
Fennelly is leaning on McCombs to help with some of his younger staff members, like Ryan, Rob Jenkins and Emily Hatfield. Jenkins, an assistant and Hatfield, an assistant/recruiting coordinator, have added duties to their roles. McCombs is helping with their transitions.
Fennelly believes it’s only a matter of time before McCombs is a head coach again. But for now, she’s at Iowa State. She and Ryan, Fennelly said, may have been the biggest additions the team made during a crazy offseason.
“I think Emily Ryan and Caroline are maybe two of the most important things we added in the portal,” Fennelly said.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What drew Bill Fennelly to ISU associate head coach Caroline McCombs
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
