Joanna Bernabei McNamee Named ACC Coach Of the Year
Boston College Women's Basketball head coach Joanna Berbei McNamee was named ACC Coach of the Year, the league announced today. She is the first coach in BC Women's Basketball coach to win the award, and first since Cathy Inglese to win a Coach of the Year honor.
Bernabei- McNamee took over a program two years ago that was in rough shape and in dire need of a new direction. During the 2017-18 season the Eagles only won seven games total, and went 2-14 in the conference under former head coach Erik Johnson. McNamee immediately started to turned the program around in her first year, grabbing more victories and building a culture with her team. In her second year in Chestnut Hill, McNamee transformed a team that went 14-16 and 3-11 in conference, to a team that finished 18-11 and 11-7 in the conference. Her team broke the school record for wins in the ACC during the past season.
Her leadership has made this season a special one for the Women's Basketball team, and has helped put the program back on the map. For the first time since joining the ACC the team finished 4th in the conference, and the season was marked with special wins. They beat Notre Dame twice for the first time in school history, they defeated #14 Florida State, and had six road ACC wins. The Eagles finished the season winning six out of their last seven games, and playing their best basketball of the season.
On top of Bernabei-McNamee's honors, Taylor Soule was named the ACC's Most Improved Player. Soule leads the team in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (8.0). She is fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage (55%) and eighth in rebounding. Soule has scored in double-figures in a career-high 21 games and 13 times on the boards. She is fourth in the ACC in double-doubles (10).
The Eagles earned a six seed in the ACC Tournament and will play the winner of Miami/Clemson on Thursday at 8 p.m. (RSN/NESN Plus).
Editor and publisher of BC Bulletin. '06 graduate of Boston College, who has followed the program as long as he can remember. Has been covering the Eagles for the past nine years, giving expert analysis, recruiting news and breakdowns. Also the host of Locked on Boston College, a daily BC podcast that is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. When he is not writing or producing content on the Eagles, he can be found running, skiing, enjoying craft beers, or spending time with his family. You can follow AJ Black on Twitter @AJBlack_BC and our official site Twitter account is @BulletinBC