Thanks to great sources for getting us out in front of this last night…
Kelly Cole, a coaching veteran with more than two decades of experience and three Sweet 16 appearances, has been named Northeastern University women’s basketball head coach, athletic director Peter Roby announced Monday (June 9).
"We are very excited to welcome Kelly to Northeastern and to have someone of her character and caliber leading our women’s basketball program," Roby said. "Kelly brings great experience, energy, and enthusiasm to the position. She is committed to the student-athlete experience and to helping young people achieve both on and off the court. She has been successful at every stop along her coaching path, with 10 20-win seasons and 11 postseason appearances in 13 years as a Division I coach. Her peers in the industry and her former players speak very highly of her. I look forward to working with Kelly in building an exciting future for our women’s basketball program."
Cole, who becomes the sixth coach in program history, will be formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday at noon at Cabot Center on the Northeastern campus. Members of the media and of the Northeastern community are invited to attend the introductory event.
Cole arrives at Northeastern after two years as an assistant coach at Harvard University. An accomplished coach, she also spent nine season at Boston College, two years at Northwestern University, and 11 years at the high school level. In 13 seasons at the Division I level, Cole has made 11 trips to the postseason, including eight NCAA tournament berths and three Sweet 16 appearances.
"I am extremely excited to join the Northeastern community, to step into an accomplished athletic department, and to lead a basketball program with such tremendous potential," Cole said. "The Boston area has been my home for nearly 20 years, and I have spent the better part of my college coaching career recruiting high-achieving student-athletes to this world-class city. Northeastern provides the perfect combination of high-level academic and athletic offerings, all in the heart of this great city. I am grateful to Peter Roby and Regina Sullivan for this tremendous opportunity and look forward to getting started."
At Harvard, Cole helped lead the Crimson to a 43-17 record, including a 22-6 mark in Ivy League play, and two WNIT appearances. Last season, the Crimson registered the second-most wins in program history and became the first Ivy League program to earn an at-large berth into a postseason tournament. Cole aided in the development of Temi Fagbenle, a first team All-Ivy selection that led the conference in rebounding.
"We were so lucky to have Kelly with us at Harvard, even for just two years," said Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. "Kelly brought great knowledge, experience, and energy to our team and I believe Northeastern has gotten themselves one of the best. I, for one, am so glad she is going to be just across town."
Cole spent nine successful seasons at Boston College working with head coach Cathy Inglese, including the final two as associate head coach. During her tenure in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles compiled a 192-89 mark, including a 93-53 conference record, and made seven trips to the NCAA tournament. BC won 20 or more games and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of Cole’s final five seasons and appeared in the Sweet 16 three times.
Cole began her collegiate coaching career at her alma mater, Northwestern University, where she helped the Wildcats to the WNIT semifinals in 1996 and to the NCAA tournament in 1997. Northwestern won 40 games during her two years on staff, going 40-22, while compiling 17 wins in Big Ten games.
"Kelly is a winner on and off the court and I look forward to many bright years ahead for the Huskies under her leadership," said Regina Sullivan, executive senior associate athletic director at Northeastern. "Her positive energy, dedication, and contagious enthusiasm will be an asset to the women’s basketball program, the athletic department, and the university."
Cole also has broad experience at the high school level. She served as the head girls’ basketball and volleyball coach at Newberg High School in Oregon from 1991 to 1996, before launching her collegiate coaching career at her alma mater.
After the 2006 season at Boston College, Cole returned to high school coaching, citing the desire to spend more time with her family. She spent time at Boston-area schools Gann Academy, Bedford High, and Buckingham Browne & Nichols from 2006 to 2012. During that time, she also launched a basketball skill development and training program for young players.
Cole graduated from Northwestern University in 1991 with a degree in secondary education and English. She played four seasons for the Wildcats, serving as team captain from 1989 to 1991, and finished her career with 1,206 career points.
