Wagner head women’s basketball coach Heather Jacobs continues to bolster her staff, as she readies the Seahawks for her first season at the helm in 2016-17, with the hiring of assistant coach Kaitlyn Schmid and video director Richard Cassella.
Schmid and Cassella join assistant coach Dario Hernandez, who was hired back on May 6.
A native of Howell, NJ, Schmid arrives on Grymes Hill following a one-year stint as a graduate assistant at the University of Southern Mississippi. Schmid worked primarily with the Lady Eagles’ guards last season, in addition to assisting in the areas of video coordination, scouting upcoming opponents, on-campus recruiting, social media enhancement, scheduling, team logistics, as well community, campus and team activities.
“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Kaitlyn to our staff here at Wagner,” said Seahawk head coach Heather Jacobs. “It was evident early in the search process that she is a passionate and driven person. We are looking forward to sharing in her energy and zeal for both growth and the game of basketball.”
Before arriving at Southern Miss, Schmid was a four-year, standout point guard at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. As a senior, she set a NCAA Division II single-season record with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.25 (136 assists-to-28 turnovers), a mark that was the highest among all three NCAA divisions and eclipsing the previous NCAA Division II mark of 4.09, set by Jessica Parsons of Glenville State.
Her efforts helped lead the 2014-15 Devils to a 20-8 record and their first regional appearance since 2006. A productive and durable performer, Schmid appeared in 112 games in a four-year career that spanned from 2011-2015 and gained starts in every game in each of her junior and senior seasons, ending her career with starts in 55 consecutive games.
As a senior, Schmid had the distinction of being selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to participate in the 13th annual WBCA’s “So You Want To Be A Coach” program, a three-day workshop held in Tampa, FL. She
She boasted a career assist/turnover ratio of 1.92, which still stands as a program record. Schmid dished out 334 assists, good for sixth place on the Devils’ all-time career list while ranking eighth all-time in assists per game (2.98).
“I am beyond excited and very grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Jacobs’ staff here at Wagner,” Schmid said. “I am eager to learn and grow with our athletes, and to push ourselves to the next level. Coach Jacobs’ passion and vision for Wagner women’s basketball is very evident, and I cannot wait to begin this journey with her and the rest of the coaching staff.”
Schmid graduated from the University of the Sciences with honors in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. At Southern Mississippi, she earned a Masters of Science while maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
Before embarking on her distinguished career as a collegiate student-athlete, Schmid was a three-year starter at Howell High School where she was a two-time captain, helping to lead the Rebels to an undefeated season and to the Shore Conference “A” North title en route to earning team MVP honors.
Cassella takes on the role of video director for the Seahawks after serving in a similar capacity under Jacobs at Adelphi for the past three seasons.
His responsibilities include the strategic development and implementation of the Seahawks’ offensive approach, assisting in practice and game film breakdowns that enhance team development.
“I’m excited that Richard will be partnering with me in helping to build the Wagner women’s basketball program,” said Jacobs. “He played a vital role in the success we had at Adelphi, and I’m confident that he will be a major asset to our program here at Wagner. Richard has a special skill set when it comes to video and technology, and I believe he is the best in the business.”
Prior to joining Adelphi, Cassella was an assistant coach with the girls’ basketball and the baseball program at Lyman Hall High School in Connecticut and the Director of Technology with the Connecticut ATTACK AAU program. He has also served as an adjunct professor of New Media Literacies in the Classroom at UCLA Extension.
“I am sincerely grateful to Coach Jacobs and all of the players I’ve had the honor to serve, who are ultimately the reason why I now have the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the Wagner’s women’s basketball program,” Cassella said. “I’m looking forward to working with a fantastic staff, filled with genuine, forward-thinking individuals, who are deeply invested in building a special environment here at Wagner.”
In 2009, Cassella graduated cum laude from Southern New Hampshire University, majoring in English Language and Literature and continued his education at the University of Southern California where he received a master’s degree in English.
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