Bio

Annie Kassongo is in her second season as women’s basketball assistant coach and sixth overall in the collegiate coaching ranks.

Kassongo returned to Barton following a four-year stint at Northwest Kansas Technical College where she spent two years as assistant before moving into the head coach position.

In Kassongo’s first season as the Cougars’ assistant, the Cougars reached the final four of the Region/District playoffs for the sixth consecutive season before being denied its fifth straight trip to the Championship. Despite holding top ranked Hutchinson to its lowest output of the season, the Cougars fell 49-39 in the semifinals to end the season at 22-10 as the Blue Dragons would roll on through the region to the eventual national title.

Placing fourth in the conference standings at 16-8, four Cougars were selected for the All-KJCCC/Region 6 team led by freshman and eventual University of Arkansas signee Vera Ojenuwa earning first-team honors. Sophomore Quezia Bertoni (St. Mary’s University) and freshman Vivian Onugha were named to the second team while Tatum Boettjer (Western Kentucky University) was named an honorable mention selection.

Native of Geneva, Switzerland, Kassongo donned the Barton uniform for record breaking performances during the 2008-10 seasons. Kassongo’s freshman campaign helped the Barton claim the KJCCC regular season title and a No. 16 national ranking.

Kassongo’s sophomore campaign concluded as a 2nd Team All-Conference selection, leading the team in scoring 14 of the 30 contests, rebounding in 21 of the games, and finished averaging 14.7 points on 49.5% shooting, 10 rebounds, and 4.33 blocked shots per game.

A prolific shot blocker, Kassongo swatted a 133 single season program most blocks during the ’09-10 year including the top three individual blocks per game performances with a record setting 9 denials recorded on January 16 at Butler.

During her two-year Barton career, Kassongo also hauled down double-digit rebounds in 19 contests, finishing inside the program single season top ten list at the time with 301 total boards with 101 coming on the offensive glass

Kassongo went on to also have a record impact at Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City setting the program single game record of 7 blocks her junior year before surpassing it with a 10 block effort while adding 14 points and 12 rebound for a triple-double performance in her final year.

In 2013, Kassongo garnered All-GAC honorable mention distinction before helping the squad to the 2013 NCCAA National Championship crown behind a 23 point and 11 rebound performance in the title game to cap her collegiate career being named to the All-National Tournament team.

Receiving her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from SNU in 2013, Kassongo then embarked on a 7-year professional career abroad.

Abroad, Kassongo’s professional career included time in Spain, Romania, United Kingdom, France, and her homeland Switzerland, as well as, represented her country in FIBA European competitions at the senior and youth levels.