Laura Dinkins: Coming Home to Lead Northern Arizona

This week on The Krista Redpath Show, I’m continuing to take you Around the Big Sky in Women’s Hoops, and our next stop is Flagstaff, Arizona.

I’m joined by Laura Dinkins, the first-year head women’s basketball coach at Northern Arizona University, who returns to lead her alma mater after 15 seasons of Division I coaching experience.

We begin by going back to Laura’s early years growing up in Rialto, California, her family’s influence on her love for sports, and how basketball became her game. Laura then walks us through her recruiting journey and why Northern Arizona felt like the right place to start her college career.

From there, we dive into her playing days at NAU from 2003–2008, including the 2006 Big Sky Tournament championship, the program’s only NCAA Tournament appearance, and her development into one of the league’s premier defenders. Laura reflects on earning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, her standout senior season, and how those years helped shape her competitive identity.

The conversation continues through her professional playing career overseas and into her transition into coaching — beginning back at NAU as an assistant, followed by stops at Idaho State, Fresno State, Long Beach State, and most recently Grand Canyon, where she was part of a championship run and an NCAA Tournament team.

We close by looking ahead to Laura’s vision for Northern Arizona women’s basketball, what she’s learning about her team now that the season is underway, and how she defines success in year one as a head coach.

It’s a wide-ranging look at coming home, competition, and leadership — and a deeper introduction to Laura Dinkins as she begins a new chapter at Northern Arizona.