Seattle Pacific University Women's Basketball

It wasn't that long ago when being a college women's basketball coach was just a dream for Karen Byers.   Then she became an assistant coach at Seattle Pacific.   Now, she is a college head basketball coach …   … at Seattle Pacific. Byers was named the interim coach of the Falcons program on Aug. 19 for the upcoming 2024-25 season,   "I'm just so thankful to move forward with this team," Byers said. "I'm really excited for everyone. I'm very blessed by the opportunity that I have here – what a special place to have my first college team be SPU. It's just a magical place, and I'm so excited for this team."   Byers came aboard prior to the 2022-23 season as second assistant coach. She moved up to lead assistant this past season. Both years, she helped guide the Falcons into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. "Karen brings a wealth of experience into her new role of directing the Seattle Pacific women's basketball program," athletic director Dan Lepse said. "Based on her previous head coaching experience, and having worked with the SPU team as an assistant, we are confident that she will succeed in this capacity.   "The Falcons are fortunate that such a gifted coach and mentor is available to immediately assume the interim head coaching position," Lepse added. "She brings strong leadership not just to basketball-related matters, but also in the off-court formation of these student-athletes."   Byers, who previously served as head coach at Bainbridge High School prior to coming to SPU (and still makes the daily ferry trip across Puget Sound) particularly enjoys working with her players on skill development and breaking down film for practice structure and game preparation.   "I started coaching youth basketball, and I was researching and reaching out to mentors just to gain all the knowledge that I could," Byers said. "I knew I loved coaching and wanted to be the best coach I could be. "Then it hit me that I wanted to coach college. Everything I have done to this point is to get myself in the position to hopefully one day have my own college team."   Byers is a native of Portland. She and husband John have daughter Ana and son Dane. She enjoys golfing and doing endurance races. She often rides her mountain bike or runs the 4.7 miles between the Seattle ferry terminal and SPU. Click the image below to get to know Coach Byers!  

Ava Edmonds, who played four seasons at Pacific Lutheran and started 71 of her 76 games for the Lutes, has joined the Seattle Pacific women’s basketball coaching staff as the lead assistant.   Edmonds completed her career with the Lutes in 2024, She tallied 787 points in four years, an average of 10.4 points per game. As a senior, she totaled 223 points  During her junior season in 2022-23, she was named to the All-Northwest Conference honorable mention team. On Jan. 6, 2023, Edmonds posted a double career-best double-double with 27 points and 13 rebounds. She pulled down 111 boards that season. As a sophomore, Edmonds led the Lutes with 18 blocked shots.   When she wasn’t on the court, Edmonds could be found on the golf course. She played three seasons for PLU, finishing in the top 20 at the Northwest Conference Championships as a senior in 2024. She served as captain for both teams.   Edmonds also worked in the PLU athletics department office, undertaking a variety of tasks from scheduling to contract preparation to women’s basketball camp coordination.   In the classroom, Edmonds earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration on marketing, then went on to complete her master’s in marketing analytics.    Click the image below to get to know Coach Edmonds!