Robyn Scherr-Wells
Head Coach
Robyn Scherr-Wells enters her third season at the helm of the Purple Aces women's basketball program. In her first two season leading UE, Scherr-Wells returned Evansville to a level of success not seen in six seasons, resulting in a contract extension in June of 2023.
On April 20, 2021, Scherr-Wells, who had shown a knack for revitalizing programs and developing talent, was named as the 11th head coach in Evansville women's basketball program history. Since then, Scherr-Wells has made plenty of progress in rebuilding the Aces program, beginning with the 2021-22 season.
In her first season, Scherr-Wells led the Aces to eight wins, the most by an Evansville team since winning 14 games in 2016-17. Capturing a pair of victories in MVC play, Scherr-Wells' side earned the no. 9 seed at Hoops in the Heartland, its highest seed since 2016-17. The Aces improvement continued going into Scherr-Wells second season behind the bench, as Evansville posted an 11-win campaign during the 2022-23 season. It marked the first double digit win season for the Aces and the highest victory total since the 2016-17 season.
One of the hallmarks of head coach Robyn Scherr-Wells system at UE has been playing fast. Installing a new system, Scherr-Wells achieved her goal of getting the Aces to play fast as Evansville finished 35th in the nation with 74.4 possessions per 40 minutes in her first season at the helm. The Aces averaged over 65 points per game in 2021-22, a nine-point increase from the 2020-21 campaign.
Scherr-Wells came to the River City with head coaching experience, coaching for seven seasons in the NAIA with Roosevelt University and Davenport University, winning six conference championships, while also helping rebuild programs at Florida International University and Davidson College as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level. Scherr-Wells spent the 2020-21 season as assistant coach at Florida International University, where she was part of a staff that helped lead the Panthers to their best record in nearly a decade.
The Panthers advanced to the postseason last season, earning a berth in the Women’s Basketball Invitational, advancing all the way to the consolation final where FIU captured a 59-58 win over Manhattan on a pair of free throws with less than one second remaining.
Scherr-Wells’ Panthers squad was one of the best offensive teams in the NCAA, averaging 73.7 points per game. FIU finished the 2020-21 season 41st in the nation in scoring offense. Aiding to the Panthers high-scoring offense was an excellent effort from beyond the arc, while also finishing inside the top 25 in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal attempts, total makes, three-point field goals made per game.
Previous to FIU, Scherr-Wells spent three years as the top assistant at Davidson College where she helped rebuild a program that finished 12th in the Atlantic 10 prior to her arrival to a fourth-place finish in just her second year and aided the program to their first winning season and post-season berth (WBI) in six seasons in 2018-19. At Davidson, she recruited and coached six Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team selections, as well as one Most Improved Player, one Sixth Woman of the Year, and one Rookie of the Year.
Scherr-Wells has extensive experience in building programs, serving as head coach for both Roosevelt University (Chicago) and Davenport University (Grand Rapids, Mich.). As a head coach, Scherr-Wells amassed a 144-83 (.634) record across seven seasons at the helm of two programs. In conference play, Scherr-Wells record was even more impressive, going 76-26 (.745) and winning three regular season and conference tournament championships.
A native of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Scherr-Wells attended the University of Michigan where she joined the women's basketball team. With the Wolverines, Scherr-Wells started as a manager/practice player during her freshman season and eventually earned an athletic scholarship as a sophomore for her role in that capacity for the squad. As a member of the Wolverines, Scherr-Wells was part of a team that earned three NCAA Tournament berths and made the postseason in each of her four seasons.
Beginning her coaching journey in 2005, Scherr-Wells returned to where it all started, serving as the administrative assistant for women’s basketball at the University of Michigan. With the Maize & Blue, Scherr-Wells served in various capacities with the team under the mentorship of a familiar face to The Valley. Scherr-Wells worked under Hall of Fame Missouri State Coach Cheryl Burnett, who coached the Lady Bears to eight NCAA Tournaments, including appearances in the Final Four in 1992 and 2001.
A 2001 graduate of the University of Michigan, Scherr-Wells finished with distinction and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Movement Science and Athletic Training. She went on to earn a Master’s Degree of Business Administration from Roosevelt in 2014. She is married to Ryan Wells.