Kathy Holbrook starts her fifth year as an assistant coach with the Falcon women's basketball program. Coach Cindy Hovet says, "Kathy specializes in working with our post players. She's an excellent teacher of the details of the game, and is especially strong working on individual player development. She keeps kids motivated and always looks for encouraging things to say. Kathy truly believes in the Div. III philosophy and is committed to our student-athletes having a great experience. She is professional, competitive and driven to help us become a better team."

Holbrook's athletic background is impressive in both basketball and volleyball. At Doane College in Nebraska, she was selected the school's Outstanding Female Athlete her junior and senior years of competition. She earned All-Conference and NAIA All-District recognition for two straight years for her success on the basketball court. She was inducted into the Doane Hall of Fame in 2003 for her excellence as a student-athlete. She is also in the Hall of Fame at Central City High School in Nebraska.

Kathy Holbrook
E-Mail: kathleen.holbrook@uwrf.edu

Mike Babler joins the Falcon basketball program for his first season as an assistant coach. Coach Cindy Hovet says, "Mike has a lot of coaching experience and will be a great addition to our staff. He particularly loves coaching the defensive end of the floor and will make us a tougher team at locking down and getting stops on defense. Mike's enthusiasm and ability to break down film for scouting is also a real strength. I'm glad to have him join our staff, he has a lot to add to our program."

In 2005-06 he was the assistant girl's basketball coach at River Falls High School and before that was an assistant junior varsity coach for three seasons. After moving to River Falls in 1982, he coached several local boys and girls youth teams. He started his teaching and coaching career at Hamilton High School where he was an assistant boy's coach. Babler helped lead Hamilton to WIAA State tournament appearances twice in the three years he coached there.

Babler is a 1977 graduate of UW-Whitewater. He earned his undergraduate degree in education with a coaching minor. He is also the head girl's soccer coach at River Falls High School. He owns Valley Services, Inc. - Heating and Air Conditioning in Hudson. He and his wife, Mary, have two children. Their son Ryan currently attends UW-River Falls, and their daughter Sarah attends UW-Green Bay.

Mike Babler
E-Mail:
michael.babler@uwrf.edu