HOPEWELL, N.J. -- Five Atlantic 10 women's basketball head coaches, the most of any conference, were selected for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year Preseason Watch List.
Gayle Fulks (Davidson), Vanessa Blair-Lewis (George Mason), Aaron Roussell (Richmond), Cindy Griffin (Saint Joseph's) and Beth O'Boyle (VCU) were all named to the 20-person watch list, which is presented by Her Hoop Stats. This is the second season of the award, named after the legendary former Harvard head coach. Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier was named the inaugural winner of the award last season. This year’s watch list includes coaches from 14 conferences.
Under Fulks' guidance, the Wildcats were selected to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll and junior guard Charlise Dunn was named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team. Last season, the 'Cats finished with an 18-8 overall record including a 12-1start to the year. In a tough schedule, the Wildcats defeated two of their three ACC foes (RV/#22 Duke 69-62, Wake Forest 57-52) and came within two baskets of defeating the third (UNC 70-74).
In 2021-22, Blair-Lewis took over a program that had won just three games against Division I opponents the year before. In her third season, George Mason won 22 games against Division I foes, with six of its eight losses coming by single digits. Blair-Lewis has the Patriots selected third in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll with a league-best four Preseason All-Conference honorees: Zahirah Walton, Ta'Viyanna Habib, Nalani Kaysia and Kennedy Harris.
Roussell is set to begin his sixth season as head coach of the Richmond women's basketball team in 2024-25 after taking over the reins in 2019. Following a historic 2023-24 campaign, Richmond posted a program-record 29 wins, claimed its first Atlantic 10 championship, and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament — the Spiders' first appearance since 2005. The Spiders were picked to win the Atlantic 10 again this season and feature three Preseason All-Conference honorees: Addie Budnik, Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom.
Griffin enters the 2024-25 season with 446 career wins, with 398 of those victories coming on Hawk Hill. Last season, Griffin led the Hawks to a program-record 28 wins and recorded her ninth season with at least 20 wins. Under her guidance, the Hawks set a new program standard with a 13-game road win streak to start the season and tied for the most road wins in the country (15) in 2023-24. The Hawks were selected second in the 2024-25 Atlantic 10 preseason poll and had three student-athletes named to A-10 Preseason All-Conference Teams: Tayla Brugler, Laura Ziegler and Mackenzie Smith.
O’Boyle orchestrated a major defensive overhaul, jumping from the 186th-ranked defense, according to the HHS Defensive Rating, to the 36th-ranked defense last season. The Rams finished second in the Atlantic 10 with a 15-3 record and this year were picked fifth. VCU is led by three Preseason All-Conference honorees: Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Mary-Anna Asare and Mykel Parham.
The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate. Inclusion on previous watch lists is not a requirement to be considered for future watch lists.