COACHING STAFF

Rico Burkett | Assistant Coach

Rico Burkett joined the Colorado State women's basketball staff in May of 2018 as an assistant coach.

Prior to Colorado State, Burkett was the head men's basketball coach at Wayne State for nine seasons (2000-09), finishing his tenure with the Wildcats with the third-most wins in program history (111). Burkett's nine-year stint also ranks as the second-longest tenure in program history, behind only W. Ray Hickman, who served as WSC head coach from 1927-38.

Burkett spent 13 seasons total with the Wayne State men's basketball program, previously serving as an assistant coach (1997-2000) under current Creighton head coach Greg McDermott for four seasons before being promoted to head coach upon McDermott's departure.

During his tenure at Wayne State, Burkett recruited and developed 19 All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) players, including nine first-team All-NSIC selections, five second-team All-NSIC picks, three third-team All-NSIC honorees and two All-NSIC honorable mentions. He also coached 1998 All-American Tyler Johnson, as well as All-America honorable mention Brad Joens in 2000-01.

Academics were a point of emphasis for Burkett at Wayne State, and he served as academic coordinator for all basketball student-athletes during his WSC tenure. His teams boasted a 100 percent player graduate rate, a 3.0 team GPA or better in 15 of his 18 semesters as head coach and two NSIC Britton Award honorees, the only two in school history. The Britton Award is given annually to the conference's top male scholar-athlete.

Burkett has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience in all before arriving in Fort Collins, including a stop as an assistant coach for two seasons at Stetson (1995-97) and his first coaching job as a graduate assistant for the women's program at his alma mater, North Dakota (1993-94).

As a player, Burkett led North Dakota to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances from 1989-91 with no fewer than 28 wins each season and a combined four North Central Conference regular-season and region titles. In 1991, Burkett served as UND's captain, and was named the North Central Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He remains UND's all-time single-season record holder in assists (232) and second in steals (75). Burkett graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education/secondary education (1993).

The Colorado State position marked a return to the collegiate coaching ranks for Burkett after a nine-year hiatus from the game. In between college coaching stints, he has served his community in various positions in Grand Island, Neb. First, he was involved at Boys Town (2010-13; shelter school/youth care worker), and then the Department of Health and Human Services as a child and family services specialist (2013). He got back into basketball at Northwest High School where he was an alternative education specialist and assisted the boys basketball program from 2013-15 prior to becoming the girls' basketball coach for the three preceding seasons.

Notably, the careers of Williams and Burkett overlapped for eight years at Wayne State, as Williams held the head coaching job for the women's program during Burkett's tenure as men's head coach.

Burkett married Mandy on August 11, 2001 and the couple have two children, Taryn and Marcus. Taryn is a track and field student-athlete at Grand Canyon.

Buck Scheel | Assistant Coach

Buck Scheel joined the Rams' women's basketball staff in July of 2024 as an assistant coach.

"Buck is a very experienced and knowledgeable addition to our coaching staff," said Williams "He has had numerous responsibilities at very successful programs, and we are excited for him to make a big impact at Colorado State."

Before arriving in Fort Collins, Scheel spent four seasons at Grand Canyon under head coach Molly Miller and helped guide the Lopes to new heights, which included winning 20-plus games each of the past three seasons and a WNIT appearance in 2021-22.

"I'm grateful and excited to join Colorado State and the Fort Collins community," said Scheel. "Coach Williams has a tremendous program and it's a great opportunity to join him and his coaching staff. I am looking forward to this upcoming season and coaching a very talented roster. I can't wait to get to work!"

Scheel was instrumental in helping the Lopes' post play and aided in the rebounding efforts at GCU. The Lopes had at least four players record 100+ rebounds during his seasons including four in 2023-24 and five during the 2022-23 campaign.

Prior to being in Phoenix, Scheel helped direct Drury to a 108-4 record which included two conference titles, a pair of NCAA DII Midwest Regional championships and a Final Four appearance.

Scheel spent the previous two and a half seasons as the head women's basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State University. Before taking over as head coach midway through the 2015-16 campaign, he served as an assistant with the Bearcats for two years.

From 2010-2013, Scheel was the top assistant at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri and helped the program to a 68-28 record through three seasons and a district championship in 2011. He worked as the head women's basketball coach at Southwestern Community College in Iowa for three years and served as an instructor for Midwest Elite Basketball where he designed and customized curriculum for players and teams.

Scheel is originally from Columbus, Nebraska. He started his collegiate playing career at Kaplan University in Lincoln, Nebraska, before finishing at Waldorf College in Iowa. He served as a team captain at both programs and graduated from Waldorf with a degree in Business Management. Scheel also earned a Master's degree in Sports Management from Columbia Southern University in Alabama.

Rachel Erickson | Assistant Coach

A familiar face to the Colorado State Women's Basketball program, Annie Brady rejoined the program as an assistant coach in June 2024 after spending three seasons as a student-athlete with the Rams.

Andrea  (Annie) Brady was a two-year letterwinner for the Rams and ranks in the top five in program history in career rebounds. Named to the Mountain West All-Defensive Team in 2020, she also holds the record for most rebounds in a single game with 23 vs. San Jose State in 2020.

After graduating from Colorado State in 2020, Brady embarked on an 18-month church mission to Taiwan, enriching her experiences both culturally and personally. After, she took her basketball talents to Switzerland where she played for the BBC Les Portes Du Soleil Troistorrents.

Kasondra McKay | Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

With over eight years of coaching on her resume, Kasondra McKay joins the Colorado State women's basketball staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in July 2023.

McKay comes to Fort Collins after coaching stints at Northwestern State, North Texas and most recently LA Tech.

"I'm honored and excited to work alongside Coach Williams and the tremendous players at Colorado State," said McKay. "I have the upmost respect for Coach Williams, his program and I can't wait to get started!"

During her two seasons at LA Tech (2020-22), McKay helped the Lady Techers to a 35-22 overall record, a Conference USA West Division title during the 2021-22 season and a pair of bids to the WNIT. McKay helped coach four All-CUSA selections, including the CUSA Preseason Player of the Year.

McKay spent four seasons on staff at North Texas (2015-19). She was part of a coaching staff in Denton that helped take a 5-win program and turn it into an 18-win team in 2018-19 when the Mean Green advanced to the semifinals of the WBI. The 18 wins were the most in more than a decade and the win over UT-Rio Grand Valley in the opening round of the WBI was its first postseason victory in program history.

Prior to LA Tech, McKay was an assistant at Northwestern State (2013-15) where she helped guide the program to the 2014 and 2015 Southland Conference championship and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The program won a combined 40 games during her tenure and posted a perfect 7-0 record in its Southland Conference title runs.

McKay is known for her recruiting prowess at her college coaching stops, helping garner talent out of both Texas and Louisiana.

McKay was a two-year letterwinner at North Texas (2010-12) during her collegiate career after starting at Weatherford Community College. She was named the North Texas Newcomer of the Year in her first season.

The Arlington, Texas, native is a graduate of Weatherford College (2010, Associates in Arts), North Texas (2012, Bachelor's in Science Kinesiology) and Northwestern State (2015, Masters in Sports Administration).

McKay is married to Travis McKay, both graduates of Sam Houston High School and has a son Taj.

Marcie Johnston | Director of Women's Basketball Operations

Marcie Johnston is a familiar face around Colorado State Athletics, as she has served in various roles on campus since 1997. Currently she serves as the Director of Operations for the women's basketball program, a role she moved back to before the 2021-22 season.

Johnston started at Colorado State as an adminrative assistant in the athletic director’s office. From there she joined the football program in 1999 as a DOFO and has worked with four Colorado State head coaches (Sonny Lubick, Steve Fairchild, Jim McElwain and Mike Bobo). She was promoted to Director of Football Administration in 2018 when she rejoined Coach Bobo’s staff after serving as the Director of Operations for the women’s basketball program from 2016-18.

Prior to her position with women’s basketball, Johnston served as a sport coordinator from July 2012 through March 2015, providing support for the Rams’ women’s basketball, women’s soccer, track and field, cross country and women’s tennis programs. In that role, she coordinated various services for each coaching staff, while arranging events and travel for the six staffs and for prospective student-athletes.

A native of Boulder, Colo., Johnston graduated from Boulder High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. Johnston and her husband Kevin have two children, Kaylee and Brendan.