Former Vik Orlandi named women's basketball coach at Lewis-Clark State

From news services

Lewis-Clark State Athletics Hall of Famer and 2023 WBCA NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year Caelyn Orlandi can now add a new title to her resume: head coach of Lewis-Clark State Women's Basketball. The Warrior great was announced as the eighth head coach in program history on Wednesday.

"I cannot express how excited I am to be the next head coach of women's basketball at Lewis-Clark State College," Orlandi said. "I want to thank President Pemberton and Athletic Director Brooke Henze for the opportunity to lead the women's basketball team. LC State holds a very special place in my heart for many different reasons, and I am so grateful that I get to continue to work with such great people."

"We are delighted Coach Orlandi will be stepping up to lead our Warrior Women's Basketball program," President Cynthia Pemberton said. "Caelyn is a quality individual and a talented coach. She is exactly the right person to help us build on our longstanding history of success, bringing her own style and coaching knowledge, skills and expertise to bear to move us forward into a new era of excellence."

"We are thrilled to have Caelyn Orlandi step into the head coaching role,"Henze said. "During her time as a player and coach over the last 10 years she has demonstrated her commitment to our student-athletes and the women's basketball program. Caelyn is a proven winner and I am excited for her to continue the tradition of excellence in LC State Women's Basketball on the court and in the classroom."

Brian Orr announced his retirement after 22 years leading the Warrior women, with Orlandi next to him on the bench for the last six seasons. With the program's all-time assist leader serving as associate head coach, LC State has appeared in five straight NAIA national tournaments including three appearances in the NAIA Round of 16.

"I plan to uphold the amazing tradition of excellence that the women's basketball team had demonstrated over the many years of success on and off the basketball court," Orlandi added. "I have a fantastic team for the 2023-24 season and I cannot wait for practice to begin in the fall. It is always a great day to be a Warrior."

The Coeur d'Alene native had a monster career with the Warriors during 2013-17, culminating with a runner-up finish at the NAIA national tournament, the best finish ever by the women's basketball team. Orlandi was a two-time NAIA All-American guard and led the NAIA her senior year in total assists (261), assists per game (7.05) and assist to turnover ratio (3.6:1). She set the school record for assists in a season and a career, averaged in double figures scoring all four seasons, and finished with a 13.1 points per game average.

Orlandi wound up with 1,766 points, which ranks fifth on the program's all-time scoring list. Her 13.1 points-per-game-average ranks fourth, and her 622 total field goals are fifth. She made 199 3-pointers (sixth all-time), 323 free throws (seventh), and shot 84.8 percent at the free-throw line (third). She was a two-time First-Team All-Frontier Conference selection, a second team selection as a sophomore, and the Freshman of the Year during her first season.