Skyhawks head coach has guided team to ninth NE10 regular season title
NE10 Announces Women's Basketball Postseason Awards
EASTON, Mass. (February 27, 2018) – Stonehill College women's basketball head coach Trisha Brown has been selected as the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year by her peers for the fourth time in her career, the league announced today.
Brown, who earns NE10 Coach of the Year accolades for the fourth time in her career and third time over the last six seasons, has led Stonehill to its ninth Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship and the top overall seed for the NE10 Tournament from the Northeast Division. The Skyhawks rolled through the NE10 schedule with a 20-1 clip, winning its last 20-straight, setting a program record for Conference wins and consecutive league triumphs, and tying for the third-highest Conference win total in NE10 history. Stonehill is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, No. 6 in the D2SIDA Top 25 Media poll and 13th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll.
Stonehill has had eight women's basketball Coach of the Year winners in the NE10, with Brown also receiving the honors in 2007-08, 2012-13 and 2014-15. Stonehill and Northeast-10 Hall of Famer Paula Sullivan collected the award five times over her illustrious career at the program's helm.
Stonehill has returned to the top of the NE10 standings by producing one of the top all-around teams in the country. The Skyhawks boast the top defensive team in the NE10, leading Division II with 6.9 blocked shots per game, ranking fourth nationally with an NE10-best field goal percentage defense (.340) and third nationally with a Conference-low three-point percentage defense (.253), ranking second in the NE10 for scoring defense (57.4 ppg), which ranks 20th nationally. Stonehill is second in the NE10 in scoring offense (71.0 ppg), leading the NE10 with 18.8 assists per game (7th nationally) and free-throw percentage (.767) and ranking second in rebound margin (+7.8/gm), third for field goal percentage (.421) and fifth for three-point percentage (.328). The Skyhawks also rank 17th nationally for rebound margin.
Brown, who will coach her 500th game at Stonehill on Thursday, has led Stonehill to a 340-159 record (.681) over her 17 seasons at the helm, including a 245-123 (.668) clip in NE10 play. She has guided the Skyhawks to ten NCAA Tournament appearances, with an 11th imminent, as well as four NE10 championships and a spot in the NE10 Tournament all 17 years. Stonehill reached the East Regional championship in 2003, 2009 and 2015 while also advancing to the NE10 title game in 2010. Brown's career winning percentage is good for 30th among active coaches in Division II and 41st all-time in Division II. She also ranks 34th among active Division II coaches for wins.
Brown, a two-time WBCA East Region Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2015, has produced one WBCA Coaches' All-American and seven honorable mention All-Americans over her 17 seasons, two NE10 Players of the Year, including senior Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) this year, two NE10 Rookies of the Year and two NE10 Defensive Players of the Year, including senior Elizabeth Grip (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Shrewsbury) this season. She has also mentored 28 All-Northeast-10 selections and seven NE10 All-Rookie honorees.
Stonehill continues its quest for a sixth NE10 Tournament championship on Thursday night, when it hosts Southwest No. 2 Le Moyne College (17-10, 12-8 NE10) for an NE10 semifinal at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Admission is $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for students and senior citizens with college students from participating institutions with valid ID admitted for $1.00. Stonehill students will be admitted free of charge courtesy of the College's Office of Student Affairs and the Athletic Department. Fans can purchase tickets online in advance at stonehillskyhawks.com.
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