FIU Athletics appointed Heather Karner as Assistant Coach for the women's basketball program at FIU in August of 2023 joining Head Coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley and the rest of her coaching staff.
Karner arrives at FIU being quite familiar with the Panthers after serving under Head Coach Kevin Baker with conference opponent UTEP from 2019- 2023 as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In her last year with the Miners, Karner was promoted to Director of Player Development.
In the 2022-2023 season, Karner was part of a UTEP coaching staff that led the team to a 20 win campaign and a 12-8 record in Conference USA action. She also helped coach UTEP to a 7-1 start to the 2021-22 season that featured a pair of wins over rival NM State.
Karner helped guide the Miners through the Covid-affected 2020-21 season after finishing 17-8 and earning a berth into the semifinals of the 2021 Conference USA Championships. It marked UTEP's first appearance in the semifinals of the tournament in five years. Additionally, Karner was part of consecutive winning campaigns for the first time at the school since a four-year stretch from 2010-11 through 2013-14.
In her first season UTEP, the Miners established school conference tournament records for margin of victory (28), points (95) and 3-pointers made (11), while tying the mark for field goals made (33), 3-point percentage (50.0 percent) and overall field-goal percentage (55.0 percent).
The Miners broke the school standard for most 90+ point games in a season (four). UTEP also cracked the school's top-10 season list for assists per game (15.1-tied third), points (2129-fifth), scoring offense (71.0-fifth), turnovers forced (598-sixth), field goals made (771-seventh), field-goal percentage (.419-tied seventh), assists (452-eighth), free throws made (424-eighth), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.299-eighth), home wins (12-tied eighth), 3-pointers made (163-10th), games played (tied 10th).
She began her career as an assistant women's varsity coach at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis from 2008-09 and since then built an incredible resume coaching in women's basketball. Prior to coaching at UTEP, Karner was as an assistant at Central Arkansas during the 2018-19 season after coaching at Tulane from 2016-2018 as a graduate assistant coach.
Karner has been involved with all aspects of a collegiate program during her career including on-floor workouts, recruiting, scouting, strength and conditioning, summer camps, academics and compliance.
Karner also played professionally in Germany from 2010-13 and was the leading scorer and team captain for SG Weiterstadt during the 2014-15 season. While abroad, she also coached numerous boys and girls youth basketball teams.
Karner played at Western Nebraska Community College and Youngstown State. She earned her associate of science in May of 2006 at Western Nebraska, and her Bachelor of General Studies in May of 2008 at Youngstown State. She completed work on her Master of Liberal Arts at Tulane in May of 2018.
