Bonvicini One of 30 Finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year

Seattle University women’s basketball head coach Joan Bonvicini is one of thirty finalists for Naismith Awards Women’s College Coach of the Year. Other notable names to make the list include Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, Kentucky’s Matthew Mitchell, and Washington’s Kevin McGuff. The list of 30 will be narrowed down to the top four finalists on Mar. 20, with the winner named on Apr. 9.

Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, founder of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women’s and men’s college basketball players of the year.

In 1987, the Naismith Women’s and Men’s College Coach of the Year Awards were originally given to the coaches of the women’s and men’s NCAA Division I tournament champions. In 1989, the determination of the award winner was changed to a voting process by Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, including leading basketball journalists, coaches, and administrators from across the country.

Bonvicini is one of the most successful coaches in women’s collegiate basketball history, as she is currently 11th on the NCAA Division I all-time wins list for women’s college basketball. She boasts a 662-361 career coaching record, coaching her 1000th career game earlier this season vs. Washington on Nov. 14. In February 2007, she became only the 18th coach in NCAA DI women’s basketball history to reach the 600-win mark. She brings this same level of excellence in her fourth year at Seattle U, as the Redhawks have led the Western Athletic Conference for the majority of the conference season. On their Drive for the Championship, SU will compete for their first WAC Championship next week, with a chance at their first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Catch the Redhawks in their final regular season home game on Saturday, Mar. 9 at 4 p.m. as they host the Idaho Vandals. They will also honor this year’s seniors – Brenda Adhiambo, Maggie McCarthy, and Daidra Brown – in their final home game in Redhawk uniform.

Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year Top 30

Name	School
Geno Auriemma	Connecticut
Kim Barnes Arico	Michigan
Bob Boldon	Youngstown State
Matt Bollant	Illinois
Brenda Frese	Maryland
Stephanie Gaitley	Fordham
Lindsay Gottlieb	California
Jim Jabir	Dayton
Muffet McGraw	Notre Dame
Kevin McGuff	Washington
Kim Mulkey	Baylor
Sue Semrau	Florida State
Dawn Staley	South Carolina
Jeff Walz	Louisville
Coquese Washington	Penn State
Courtney Banghart	Princeton
Tina Martin	Delaware
Holly Warlick	Tennessee
Gary Blair	Texas A&M
Joan Bonvicini	Seattle
Michelle Clark-Heard	Western Kentucky
Matthew Mitchell	Kentucky
Sylvia Hatchell	North Carolina
Tara VanDerveer	Stanford
Bill Fennelly	Iowa St
Kevin Borseth	Green Bay
Tricia Collup	Toledo
Andy Landers	Georgia
Cori Close	UCLA
Quentin Hillsman	Syracuse