Kelsi Thompson was hired in October 2025 as the assistant women’s basketball coach for the 2025-26 campaign. She comes to Knox having served as the assistant girls’ basketball coach at Galesburg High School for the past three years.
A member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, Thompson had numerous responsibilities at Galesburg, including helping with guard skill development as well as scouting and game planning, working on defensive strategy and development in practice, mentoring underclassmen and co-directing elementary school camps in the summer.
Thompson also worked as an internal substitute within the Galesburg Community Unit School District 205 at King Elementary (2022-23) and Silas Willard Elementary (2023-25).
In 2021, Thompson earned n associate’s degree of general studies from Carl Sandburg College, then stayed on to receive an associate’s degree in mortuary science two years later. She was also a member of the women’s basketball team for three years, and in her final season, she averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists over her 16 games on the court.
Thompson lives in Galesburg with her husband, Chad Thompson, who is an assistant coach for the Prairie Fire men’s basketball team.
