MS&E recently welcomed a new member to the team, Jenny Boucek. She recently took over as head coach of the Monarchs, leading a team that has made it to the WNBA Finals in each of the last two seasons and won the Championship in 2005.

Boucek becomes one of only four female head coaches in the league and the only former WNBA player. At 33, she also is the youngest head coach in the league. Boucek played two seasons for the Cleveland Rockers, one of the original members of the WNBA. After a career-ending back injury, Boucek turned her love of the game into a coaching career.

“I started coaching when I was 23,” Boucek said. “I’ve dedicated my whole adult life to it and look forward to the challenges here in Sacramento.”

Being part of the WNBA family since the league’s inception, Boucek has seen many changes over the years. “The league is constantly evolving,” she said. “When I was a player, the teams were owned by the league, there was no salary cap, or free agency. Now, the teams are more autonomous. The salary cap and free agency have really changed the game. The talent and the coaching also have improved.”

After her playing career ended, Boucek spent seven years as an assistant coach for various teams including the Washington Mystics, the Miami Sol, and the Seattle Storm, where she won a WNBA Championship in 2004. Most recently she was an advance scout for the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics.

Boucek, who just moved to Sacramento, already has acclimated to her new surroundings. “I’ve got my grocery store. I know where the gym is. I’ve found some places to eat, and I know how to get to ARCO Arena,” she said.

Playing and coaching against the Monarchs for so many years has given Boucek considerable insight about the fans in Sacramento and ARCO Arena itself. She is looking forward to being on the home bench for once. “I love Sacramento,” she said. “It reminds me of a college town in the way that the sports teams are part of the culture.”

“The fans are fantastic,” she said. “The energy that they create makes Sacramento the hardest place to play in the league. The wood bleachers, the intimacy of the arena, and how close the fans are to the game really enhance the atmosphere here.”

Boucek also has the unique distinction of coaching someone she played with in college as DeMya Walker and Boucek were teammates at the University of Virginia.

This season, Boucek expects the Monarchs to continue their impressive run of playoff appearances. “Our goal is to maximize our potential,” she said. “We will give our all and depending on injuries, our best should be really good.”