Lori Gear McBride has been relieved of her duties as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Vermont after six seasons leading the program with an overall record of 46-134. Assistant coach Courtnay Pilypaitis will serve as interim head coach.
“I want to thank Dr. Corran for affording me the opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at The University of Vermont,” said Gear McBride. “I have poured my heart and soul into this program and it is disappointing that I won’t be able to complete the final phase of the rebuilding process. I wish nothing but success for the women’s basketball team and the young ladies currently in the program.”
This year’s team finished with a 9-21 record but won its final two conference games before falling to top-seed Albany in the America East Quarterfinals. Gear McBride collected her 100th career win in the Catamounts’ season-opener at Patrick Gym, a 16-point win over Central Connecticut State. Three of the team’s top-6 leading scorers this season were freshmen.
UVM ranked top-40 in the country in blocked shots per game (4.9) as Candice Wright blocked a single season program-record 48 shots in her rookie campaign. Vermont also finished inside the top-50 nationally in free throw shooting (73.7-percent) and posted the top foul shooting performance of any Division I team this year with a 22-for-22 showing at UMass Lowell.
“Lori has been an exemplary representative of the Department and University and she has shown a complete commitment to providing an enriching educational and competitive experience to our student-athletes,” said associate vice president and director of athletics Dr. Robert Corran. “Her contribution to the Department and University is sincerely appreciated and she will be missed as a friend and colleague. We wish her the very best in her future endeavors.”
In 2013, Gear McBride’s squad finished in a tie for fourth place in the league and reached the America East Semifinals with a quarterfinal win over UMBC. Her teams were consistently active in the community over the last six years with organizations and initiatives such as Rally Against Cancer, You Can Play, Play4Kay, the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, and Camp Knock Knock.
A national search for Gear McBride’s replacement will begin immediately.
Tagged with: America East Vermont
