Paula Buscher

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars are members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and compete in the NCAA's Division I.

Following the previous season's 7–29 record, Mankato State under Buscher improved to 17–10, remaining one of the greatest turnarounds in NCAA Division II history.

After only one season at Mankato State, Buscher returned to Omaha in 1998 as the schools women's basketball head coach.

Following a successful second season at Omaha, she was hired as women's basketball head coach at Division I Bradley University in her hometown of Peoria.

In June 2012, Buscher was named the fifth head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball team.