Katie Marcella – a veteran coach with NCAA Tournament experience – has been named the new women’s basketball coach at Monmouth College, becoming the 10th coach in the history of the program.
Marcella served as the head coach at Division III Keuka College in New York State from 2012-14 after taking over interim duties in December of 2011. Marcella posted a 15-5 record after taking the reins that season as the Storm finished the year 19-6 on their way to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years. In her two following seasons Marcella compiled a 32-15 record, winning the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) regular season title last winter. The squad had finished as the runner-up in the NEAC Tournament the preceding season. In six seasons as an assistant and then head coach at Keuka, Marcella was involved in three NCAA Tournament appearances. She also gained tournament experience as a player for the College of Brockport during the 2004-05 season.
"Coach Marcella brings a vast knowledge of exactly what it takes to build and maintain a high-quality program," said Monmouth’s director of athletics Roger Haynes. "She understands the Division III philosophy of student first, athlete second. We had an extremely large pool of qualified applicants, but Coach Marcella’s coaching and playing experience made her the obvious choice."
A four-year starter and two-time all-conference player at Brockport, Marcella earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education in 2007. She completed her master’s degree in athletic administration from the school in 2011.
"I really enjoyed playing and coaching in Division III and wanted to continue that," explained Marcella of her decision to come to Monmouth. "I like the Division III philosophy that you can still play your sport while you get your degree. Monmouth and the Midwest Conference have high academic standards and that makes this an attractive position."
Marcella inherits a Fighting Scots team that is coming off eight straight winning seasons. They’ve finished no lower than second in the Midwest Conference Tournament for the last four years, winning the tourney title and earning the league’s automatic NCAA berth in 2012.
"I like to keep the game active," said Marcella, hinting at an up-tempo style. "I like an aggressive defense. We want the game to be exciting for the fans, and to me that means a lot of movement on both ends of the court."
Stay with HoopDirt for the latest college basketball coaching news and rumors.
