Story Courtesy: Kate Bodiker, Goshen Athletics
Jiovanny Fontan has been named the new women’s basketball head coach at Goshen College. Fontan steps into the role after Tyra Carver, who led the program for two years, announced her resignation in June. Jomani Thomas, who was acting as interim head coach, will remain with Fontan as an assistant coach.
Fontan, most recently a high school girls basketball coach at DePaul Catholic High School, has a long history of success in basketball, both as a player and as a coach. He began his college career at Fordham before transferring to the University of Southern California and leading the Trojans as a starting point guard and captain. During this time he received multiple commendations as well as an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
After graduation, Fontan played professionally in Uruguay and Puerto Rico for two years, where he also served as captain.
He remained close to the sport even after his playing days abroad ended. Since returning to the States, he has coached girls basketball for the past 11 years — at Queen Of Peace High School, Sinai Christian Academy, and Immaculate Conception High School, and most recently at DePaul.
After coaching at Catholic high schools, Fontan said that he is “excited to have the opportunity to work at another faith-based institution and to be involved in empowering women at another level of the sport.”
During his tenure as a high school coach, Fontan developed multiple players who went on to play at the NCAA Division I level. Upon his move to GC, he hopes to develop a team culture that is built around hard work and consistent daily effort, while also living up to the strong history of the program.
One way that Fontan hopes to achieve this is by increasing attendance at games and community and campus support for the team overall. “We want to create an environment where people want to watch us,” Fontan said.
This foundation is also present in Thomas, who kept the program strong during the transition period of the summer, and who Fontan said that he is “really looking forward to working with.”
“Coach Jio brings a unique background to Goshen College,” athletic director Dwight Gingerich said. “He comes highly recommended from outstanding basketball people and brings passion and joy to the team experience. Coach Jio has a strong record of on-court success and is excited to be a part of the mission and vision of Goshen College.”
At the end of the day, Fontan said “We want to create a product that Goshen can be proud of and that our players can be proud of, and you do that with consistent hard work and energy from the shortest practice to the biggest games.”
Tagged with: NAIA
