Fernetti takes over women's basketball program

Starting fall 2019, Kellen Fernetti will begin his first full season as the head women's basketball coach at Lamar Community College. For the past seven seasons, Fernetti was an assistant men's basketball coach from 2012-16 and the head women's basketball coach from 2016-19 at McCook Community College (MCC) in McCook, Nebraska. 

During the past three seasons at MCC, Fernetti's team won the NCCAC Conference twice and had eight players on the All-NCCAC Team. In addition, Fernetti was twice named the NCCAC Coach of the Year. In NJCAA Region IX, Fernetti had three All-Region IX South players, and one All-Region IX South Defensive Team player. In 2018-19, Fernetti's team finished ninth in the NJCAA Division I in points per game and won 21 games. During Fernetti's tenure at MCC, his team never had a team GPA below a 3.4 GPA for a semester and was the top academic team on the campus of MCC.

As a men's assistant coach at MCC, Fernetti assisted on a team that had three consecutive winning seasons from 2013-16, and in each of those seasons, MCC was a Top 10 scoring team in NJCAA Division I. Fernetti coached three All-Region IX players, ten All-Conference players and two Honorable Mention All-Conference players. 

Prior to MCC, Fernetti spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri from 2010-12 and worked as a high school coach at West Prairie High School in Sciota, Illinois from 2005-10.

As a player, Fernetti started his career at Nauvoo-Colusa High School in Nauvoo, Illinois, where he was a member of the 1998 Class A State Championship team. Fernetti is also the school record holder in career points, points in a season, and three-point shooting records. 

After high school, Fernetti attended John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois and Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri. Fernetti was an all-conference player from his sophomore season through his senior season. Fernetti is 9th all-time at John Wood Community College in career points and is the record holder for career three-point field goals with 196. At Hannibal-LaGrange University, Fernetti led the NAIA Division I in three-point field goals made in a season with 146 in 2003-04 and holds the Hannibal-LaGrange University record for three-point field goals made in a season and in a game.

"I am beyond excited to begin coaching here and head the women's basketball program. I want to thank the administration and coach Crampton for their belief in me to guide this program. I want our teams to play hard with a lot of pride and passion, and to be a together-team. In addition, we want to work hard in the classroom, be the best people we can be, and represent LCC the best way we can."