Looking to continue their climb to the upper echelon of Division 3 women's basketball, Endicott turned to an experienced local, hiring Cecelia DeMarco as head coach yesterday.
A Boston native, DeMarco coached Bishop Fenwick to the 1976 Eastern Mass. title and was Salem News Coach of the Year that season. She guided the Crusaders to a 54-4 mark from 1973-76.
"I am thrilled to be joining the Endicott athletic department," DeMarco said in a release. "The enthusiasm for athletics is evident from the players to the President and that enthusiasm is contagious."
DeMarco brings 35 years of coaching experience to the Gulls' program, including a run from 1990-99 that made her the all-time wins leader in women's basketball at Yale University.
"I am delighted that coach DeMarco has agreed to become the new head women's basketball coach here at Endicott," director of athletics Brian Wylie said in a release. "She brings not only a wealth of experience and leadership to the department, but is a proven builder of basketball programs."
The Gulls have been to the ECAC postseason tournament in each of the last six seasons under coaches Debbie Buff (who left last spring after two seasons) and Jen Lucey (who guided the Gulls from 2003-08).
Endicott has been to the Commonwealth Coast Conference semi-finals or finals in all of those campaigns and is looking to take the next step under DeMarco.
The coach will have a pair of All-CCC third-team honorees back in guard Ashley Wright and center Ashley Vitale.
A successful Division 1 coach, DeMarco was at the helm of the University of New Hampshire for nine years, including seven winning seasons and a 1983 effort that earned her Converse District Coach of the Year. She later became associate athletic director and held that post at Bridgewater State before taking over at Yale.
Last year, DeMarco was an assistant at UMass-Amherst and also was the head coach at MIT in the 2007 season.
— Matt Williams
