Thanks to a great source for getting WHoopDirt.com out in front of this one last week. It has now been made official – Allison Guth, the former Yale assistant coach who went on to help Northwestern earn its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 18 years, is the new Joel E. Smilow Class of 1954 head coach of Yale women’s basketball.
Guth, the 10th coach in the 43-year history of the program, coached at Yale from 2010 to 2012 and then served as an assistant and recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats, who went 23-9 and 12-6 in the Big Ten.
She takes over an Eli team that went 13-15 last season and finished tied for third (7-7) in the Ivy League.
“I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about my opportunity to lead Yale women’s basketball. Yale is an incredibly special institution in that it provides a world class experience academically, athletically and socially,” said Guth, who helped the Wildcats to four wins over nationally-ranked opponents this past season. “I am proud to represent a University that stands for everything that is good and right in college athletics.”
Guth, with 10-plus seasons of coaching experience, has a reputation as a strong recruiter. She secured one of the top recruiting classes in the country for the 2012-13 Wildcats, one that ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 22 in all of Division I.
Guth assisted legendary Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown, who has won over 600 games in his career, preparing herself for her first stint as a collegiate head coach.
The 2011-12 season was a special one for the Elis with Guth as an assistant. Yale went 16-12 (8-6 Ivy) and finished second, Yale’s best spot in the standings since 1988-89. The year before, the Bulldogs went 10-4 in the Ivy League and earned its first WNIT berth.
During her time at Yale, Guth coached first-team All-Ivy forward Megan Vasquez ’13 and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Sarah Halejian ’15, as well as four other All-Ivy players. Guth recruited Halejian, who went on to finish her Yale career in 10th place on the program’s all-time scoring list.
“Allison was a tremendous mentor to our student-athletes during her tenure as an assistant coach at Yale,” said Yale Director of Athletics Tom Beckett. “Her experiences at Northwestern and her familiarity with Yale make her the ideal individual to lead our women’s basketball program. I am thrilled to welcome her back to the Yale coaching family.”
Guth, an Arlington Heights, Ill., native spent two seasons at DePaul before coming to Yale, handling video exchange, scouting and all on-campus recruiting for the Blue Demons. DePaul reached the Big East and NCAA tournaments in both of her years in Chicago.
Prior to DePaul, Guth served as an assistant coach at Missouri, but she began her coaching career at Loyola-Chicago as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Ramblers from 2005 to 2007.
A 2004 graduate of the University of Illinois, Guth was a three-time letterwinner and earned a scholarship after making the basketball team as a walk-on. She helped the Illini reach the 2003 NCAA Tournament and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection. Guth also played a season on the Illinois women’s golf team before graduating.
While at Illinois, Guth earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business, before getting her master’s in educational leadership from DePaul in 2010.
Guth replaces Chris Gobrecht, who recently accepted the women’s basketball head coaching job at Air Force.
http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/2015-16/releases/2015052107yurb
Tagged with: Allison Guth Ivy League Northwestern Yale
