(Worcester, Mass.) -- Worcester State University will host three of the nation’s most successful women’s basketball coaches for an “Evening of Excellence” on Tues., Oct. 25 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Sullivan Auditorium. The event will feature University of Connecticut and U.S. Olympic coach Geno Auriemma, Bentley University Coach Barbara Stevens and Amherst College Coach G.P. Gromacki.
“These three coaches and their teams are what every college coach and team in the country strives to emulate,” said Worcester State University President Barry M. Maloney.
The panel and interactive discussion will include conversations on winning, motivation and being successful on and off the court.
As head coach, Geno Auriemma has transformed the UConn women’s basketball program and set the standard during his 26 year tenure. He has led a very successful coaching career with seven national titles, 12 Final Fours, four perfect seasons, and 36 Big East titles. The team has also been successful off the court, with a 100% graduation rate among Auriemma’s four-year players. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He has been named the head coach for the U.S. National Team and will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Barbara Stevens has been coaching for 34 years. She began her career at UMass and Clark, but found her home at Bentley University for the last 25 years. She is one of only five coaches in the history of women’s college basketball to have over 800 wins under her belt. She has led Bentley to five consecutive trips to the Division Fab Four, making an appearance in the 1990 National Championship game, and to 14 Northeast 10-regular season championships. Stevens is regarded for her sportsmanship and courage and has earned many prestigious awards: Coach of the Year 12 times in the Northeast-10 conference. Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II National Coach of the Year Award, WBCA District One Coach of the Year Award, and the Carol Eckman Award. She has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Bentley Athletic Hall of Fame, and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Stevens has even coached on a national level. In 1993 she assisted the West Team at the U.S. Olympic Festival and in 1994 she assisted the USA Select Team in France and Israel.
G.P. Gromacki has made noticeable changes to the Amherst College women’s basketball team in his five years as head coach. Gromacki led his team to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and first-ever New England Small College Athletic Conference title in his first season. Last March, the team won its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship. Gromacki has been recognized for his hard work with the D3hoops.com Northeast Coach of the Year Award four years in a row, the NESCAC Coach of the Year Honors three times, and the WBCA National Coach of the Year Award. He likes to acknowledge the student-athletes, and assisted State Farm with the development of the State Farm/WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year Award.
Worcester State University will also be recognizing WSU alumna Barbara Cherecwich ’79 and her Mass Miracles Team, which won the Gold Medal at the 2011 National Senior Games.
To reserve tickets, contact WSU women’s basketball head coach Karen Tessmer at 508-929-8769 or ktessmer@worcester.edu. Tickets are $10 per adult; $5 students; or $75 max per team.
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