Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes announced on Monday, Feb. 24 that Candice Green will have her interim tag removed and will serve as the permanent head coach of the Holy Cross women’s basketball team.
Green took over as interim head coach of the Crusaders in August, and has guided Holy Cross to a 16-10 record this season, including a 9-6 mark in league play.
“I am thrilled to announce Candice Green as the permanent head coach for Crusader women’s basketball,” Hughes said. “Her work not only during the interim period, but also over the course of her time here at Holy Cross, has been deeply impactful for our student-athletes as she has enhanced their skills, confidence and the championship culture within our program. Coach Green and our staff have shown themselves to be tremendous leaders and mentors for our young women, and I believe now is the time to make this important decision.
“Not only am I excited for Candice to be reaching such a momentous milestone in her own career, but I am also excited for our Crusader women’s basketball community. In our 50th year of women’s basketball on The Hill, it gives me great pride and confidence to move into the future with Coach Green at the helm, and I know our program will continue to thrive under her leadership. The best is yet to come!”
Green becomes the eighth head coach in program history, officially taking over the helm of the most storied team in Patriot League women’s basketball history. Holy Cross has a conference-leading 13 Patriot League Tournament titles, including back-to-back titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and is the only program in the conference to win an NCAA Tournament game, having done so twice in 1991 and 2024.
This season, the Crusaders lead the Patriot League in scoring defense in conference action, holding league foes to just 54.1 points per game. Their overall scoring defense of 57.0 points per game ranks 39th among 353 Division I teams. Guard Kaitlyn Flanagan leads the Patriot League and ranks in the top 35 nationally with an average of 5.2 assists per game.
During the 2023-24 season, as an assistant coach for the Crusaders, Green helped lead Holy Cross to both the Patriot League regular season title and Tournament Championship. Responsible for the guards, Green coached Bronagh Power-Cassidy, who was named the Patriot League Championship MVP, the Patriot League Championship All-Tournament Team, Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year and to the All-Patriot League first team. Under Green’s guidance, Cara McCormack also earned Patriot League Championship All-Tournament Team honors and was named to the All-Patriot League third team.
Green helped guide the Crusaders to their first NCAA tournament victory in 33 years with a 72-45 win over UT Martin last season, with Holy Cross advancing to face eventual national runner-up Iowa.
“I am truly honored for the opportunity to continue leading the Holy Cross women’s basketball program,” Green said. “I want to express my gratitude to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes and Deputy Director of Athletics Rose Shea for entrusting me with the leadership of this program. Holy Cross is uniquely positioned to provide student-athletes with the opportunity to relentlessly pursue excellence on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. Crusader women’s basketball is rich in tradition and success throughout its 50-plus year existence, and I am looking forward to continuing to build upon that foundation.”
Green joined the Holy Cross staff in 2023-24 after four years at Fordham, including serving as the interim head coach in 2022-23. That season, Green helped guide the Rams to a 19-13 mark, a 10-6 Atlantic 10 Conference record and an appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
Green helped the Rams post an overall record of 51-28 in her previous three seasons as an assistant. Prior to her time at Fordham, she spent three years at Colgate as an assistant coach and one as a director of operations.
No stranger to the Patriot League, Green graduated from Colgate University with a degree in neuroscience. She served as a two-time team captain for the Raiders, playing in 111 career games and making 91 starts. She reached the top-10 all-time with 271 assists and 93 three-pointers.
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