Women's basketball optimistic under direction of new head coach

04/23/09 - Not more than two weeks ago, the University of Rhode Island women's basketball team was on its own, without a coach. Now, with spring practice and training getting underway, the team plans to bounce back from a disappointing season with the tutelage of a new, determined leader. "I think experience is a big thing," new head coach Cathy Inglese said. "I've had the experience of helping to turn around two programs. I'm just looking to try to change the culture a little bit and what I mean by that is the team chemistry, the attitude and the willingness to try to go the extra mile."

Before being announced as Rhode Island's newest head coach, Inglese spent time coaching at the University of Vermont and then coached in the Atlantic Coast Conference, leading Boston College to a 273-179 record in a 15-year span.

"I think the size and the athleticism will probably be the biggest thing," Inglese said when asked what she feels will be the biggest difference between the ACC and the Atlantic 10. "Each team has outstanding players. There are not just a few kids or one or two players on each team. Most teams have four or five great players."

In addition to her 273 career victories at BC, Inglese posted a 120-74 record in her time at Vermont, making her just seven victories shy of 400 for her career. Even with that milestone near in sight, Inglese mentioned the strength of the A-10 Conference and the difficulty it may present.

"I love the conference," Inglese said. "I think it's a really, really competitive conference. I like the fact that they've had different teams go on. They had three teams make the NCAA tournament and five made the NIT last year. That's eight teams, so I really like the competitiveness of the conference."

Inglese posted back-to-back undefeated seasons at Vermont from 1991-1993, compiling an incredible 57-0 record in that span. In addition to becoming the first NCAA coach to ever post consecutive undefeated seasons, Inglese led BC to eight 20-win seasons, while making an appearance in seven NCAA tournaments.

Even with her 393 career victories, the coach said it was time for a change. She was announced last Tuesday at the Thomas M. Ryan Center as Rhode Island's seventh coach in program history.

"I needed to step back a little bit and take a year off," Inglese said, "which worked out really well because I could spend more time with family and friends. I'm glad and I'm exuberant about what I see here and about what they want to get done."

A member of nine different halls of fame, as well as a former member on multiple USA Basketball coaching staffs, Inglese mentioned what she learned in her year away from the game and what she feels she can bring to the table here at Rhode Island.

"I liked stepping back and seeing what other people do," Inglese said. "I think the best coaches demand detail and demand their players to reach a certain level. They don't compromise what they're going to do. I also think that different people can do things in different ways and still get the same outcome."

Rhode Island finished its 2008-2009 campaign with a 10-21 record. The team compiled a 2-12 record in the A-10 Conference while suffering a 3-11 record on its home floor. The Rams will look to turn things around next season and Inglese said that being a part of a program in a rebuilding stage was her primary reason for coming here.

"I just got on the court with them for the first time and I couldn't have been any happier," Inglese said. "They really responded very well. I think they were fundamentally sound. They really want to do well and they want to be disciplined and be pushed, and that's something that I'm certainly going to be doing."

Inglese added, "The other coaches have been very supportive. I think it really is a family atmosphere. People say that all the time, but I really feel like everybody is coming together.