Former Illinois State All-American Kristi Cirone joins the Missouri women's basketball staff in 2010-11 as a student manager for Head Coach Robin Pingeton.
Cirone ended her collegiate career as only the second person to win the Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award three years in a row, joining Stiles. She still holds Illinois State career records in points (2,139), assists (655), assists per game (5.3), three-pointers (229), three-point field goal attempts (613), free throws (512) and free throw attempts (655). She also holds the single-season points (657) and assists (203) marks.
After her senior season, Cirone garnered Associated Press and State Farm Coaches' All-America honorable mention accolades. She was also a Nancy Lieberman Award finalist for the nation's top point guard, became the sixth player in Missouri Valley history to be a four-time -Valley first team member and earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team for the third consecutive year. Cirone also excelled in the classroom, as she twice made the All-MVC Scholar-Athlete first team and once made the second team, in addition to earning a spot on the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V first team.
During her Redbird career, Cirone helped lead Illinois State to the 2007-08 and 2008-09 MVC Regular Season championships, the 2007-08 MVC Tournament title, an NCAA tournament appearance in 2007-08 and two WNIT berths.
Following college, Cirone spent time with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky and played overseas.
Cirone, who hails from Chicago, earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2009. She is working toward a master's degree at Mizzou.
