The Rutgers University-Newark department of athletics has announced the new era of the Scarlet Raiders’ women’s basketball team as Stacey Townsend takes over as the 9th head coach in program history.
“I am excited for Stacey to hit the ground running,” said Athletic Director Mark Griffin. “She brings a lot of great experience to our team with over 10 years of coaching under her belt and I’m looking forward to seeing how she continues to improve upon our women’s basketball team. Her connection to Essex County is unparalleled which will give us the upper hand when it comes to recruiting the area.”
Townsend last coached for Monroe College in New Rochelle, NY where she led the Mustangs to a 17-11 record. Previous to her stint at Monroe College, she spent two seasons with Essex County College where she held the position of head coach for the women’s basketball team.
“First off, I want to thank Athletic Director Mark Griffin for this opportunity,” said Stacey Townsend. “It’s great to be back home, I believe Essex County is the mecca of basketball in New Jersey, so to be able to find the talent here and put it on display is a dream come true. I’m a very passionate person and I’m going to push our student-athletes to levels they didn’t know they had. My goal when I meet a student-athlete is to have them leave better than when they came to me.”
Most recently, Townsend has been a replay operator for the National Basketball Association (NBA) while also holding the role of Health and Physical Education Teacher at Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, NJ. Before reaching the college ranks as a head coach, Townsend earned her stripes as an assistant coach at Columbia High School from 2011-2015.
Townsend also brings an administrative background after being the Business/Human Resources Manager at Harbor House as well as showcasing 90 unsigned seniors as the Showcase Director for Ed Butler Girls Basketball Showcase. There she helped girls basketball players get exposure to college that they otherwise would not have received.
In her playing days, Townsend was a member of the Seton Hall Women’s Basketball team from 1998-02. While at Seton Hall, Townsend earned a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.
Photo Courtesy Rutgers-Newark Athletics
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