Hofstra Head Women’s Basketball Coach Danielle Santos Atkinson announced a trio of new staff members to the women’s basketball program on Monday, June 3. Cathy Inglese, Camille Collier and Keenah Lambert will all join Santos Atkinson and the Pride on the bench this season.
Cathy Inglese, Assistant Coach
Inglese, a long-time Division I women’s basketball head coach, comes to Hofstra after a coaching stint at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She spent two seasons with the Knights, and was promoted to Associate Head Coach before the start of the 2018-19 season. Before arriving at FDU, Inglese served 27 years as a head coach with stops at Vermont, Boston College and Rhode Island.
Over her 27 years on the bench as a head coach, Inglese has reached 20 wins 11 different times, made 10 NCAA Tournaments and coached six WNBA draft picks. She was a four-time conference coach of the year and made three Sweet 16 appearances, winning three conference tournament titles and two regular-season titles. Inglese also coached back-to-back perfect regular seasons at Vermont, going 28-0 in 1992 and 29-0 the following season for a streak of 57 consecutive victories. Under Inglese, 53 players have made all-conference teams.
Inglese’s coaching tenure dates back to 1983 when she was hired as the assistant basketball coach and director of women’s athletics at the University of New Hampshire. She coached for three seasons at UNH before moving to Vermont. After leaving Vermont, Inglese was at the helm of the Boston College women’s basketball program for 15 seasons and was appointed the head coach of Rhode Island in 2009.
A magna cum laude graduate of Southern Connecticut State, Inglese has been inducted into many different Hall of Fames, including the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame, the Boston College Athletics Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame, the Massachusetts Chapter of the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, the Sheehan High School Hall of Fame, and the New Agenda Northeast Hall of Fame for advancing the role of women in sports.
Santos Atkinson on Inglese: “I am extremely excited about the addition of Cathy Inglese as she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the staff. The depth of her X’s and O’s knowledge and time spent as a head coach will be an invaluable asset to the program. We are thrilled to welcome Cathy to the Pride family!”
Camille Collier, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Collier joins the Hofstra women’s basketball program after spending two seasons as an Assistant Coach at Radford University. In her first two seasons with the Highlanders, Collier helped the team to a 50-15 overall record, the best two-year mark in program history. In addition to her coaching duties at Hofstra, Collier will also serve as the Recruiting Coordinator.
Radford put together one of the greatest campaigns in program history in 2018-19, going 26-6 overall and 17-1 in Big South play, clinching the regular season title and top seed in the Big South Tournament. Collier and the Highlanders went on to win the Big South Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 years. One season earlier, Collier’s first season with Radford, was also a historic one as the Highlanders posted a 24-9 overall record while going 15-3 in conference play. Radford made its second-straight WNIT appearance and defeated Big Ten foe, Penn State for its third postseason win in program history.
Prior to her stop at Radford, Collier spent four seasons as an Assistant Coach at Jacksonville. In the spring of 2016, she was elevated to recruiting coordinator. Prior to her promotion, Jacksonville claimed its first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship while appearing in the NCAA tournament.
A former standout at Wake Forest, Collier wrapped up her playing career in 2012, helping the Demon Deacons to a 20-win season while reaching the second round of the WNIT. She was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Team as a freshman when she led ACC rookies with her 8.2 scoring average and also earned a spot on the ACC Honor Roll two other times. After finishing her career as a Demon Deacon, Collier served as a graduate assistant coach at Georgia State.
Santos Atkinson on Collier: “Camille is a winner and rising star in our profession, and I am looking forward to having her on our staff! She has been a part of rebuilding a program before and has won championships everywhere she’s been. Her work ethic and experience as a player in the ACC will be an essential element to our success.”
Keenah Lambert, Director of Women’s Basketball Operations
Lambert comes to Hempstead after serving as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations at the University of Rhode Island for one season. Before spending time with the Rams, Lambert spent three seasons with the Florida State University men’s basketball program, working as the Special Assistant to the head coach, Leonard Hamilton. While at Florida State, the Seminoles appeared in the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance in 2018.
In her roles, Lambert facilities many off-the-court functions and activities including community service and team bonding activities. In addition, she coordinated travel arrangements and managed business relationships with several travel companies and restaurants.
Outside of college athletics, Lambert spent a time as the Coordinating Production Assistant at ESPNU after also working with the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks in Team/Game Operations.
Lambert graduated from Winston Salem State University in 2002 and earned degrees in Sport Management and Mass Communications. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Sport Management through Florida State University.
Santos Atkinson on Lambert: “Keenah’s positive energy and passion to see young women grow and be successful is what makes her so special. She works hard, and has a knack for developing and cultivating relationships. I am grateful Keenah believed in the vision for our program, and am excited to have her join our staff!”
https://gohofstra.com/news/2019/6/3/wbb-santos-atkinson-announces-three-members-to-womens-basketball-staff.aspx
