University of Massachusetts Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford announced today a one-year contract extension for women’s basketball head coach Tory Verdi. The contract term now extends through April 2022.
“I am pleased to acknowledge the good work of Coach Verdi and his staff in his first year at UMass. It is evident that Tory is building a solid foundation for our women’s program that will yield future success,” said Bamford. “We look forward to supporting him in his efforts to recruit outstanding student-athletes, develop them in every way, and win championships at the University of Massachusetts.”
“I want to thank Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford, Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA Darrice Griffin and the entire UMass community for their support. UMass is a special place because of the people,” said Verdi. “I came to UMass for one reason – to win championships. The support from the administration and my coaching staff has been outstanding! Their hard work and dedication was instrumental to changing the culture and expectations in such a short period of time. This program is on the rise and I look forward to all of our future success.”
In Verdi’s first season at UMass, the Minutewomen showed improvement throughout the campaign despite a limited roster size.
Rising sophomore Hailey Leidel was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, while rising senior Maggie Mulligan was one of the most improved players in the league with 20 double-doubles.
Under Verdi’s guidance, Leidel ranked as the No. 2 scoring freshman in the NCAA and ranked fourth overall in scoring among all A-10 players. Mulligan ranked 11th overall in scoring and second in the league in rebounding.
This spring, Verdi completed his first recruiting class at UMass with a total of nine newcomers joining the program next season.
Verdi was originally announced as head coach of the women’s basketball program on April 9, 2016 signing a five-year contract. He was previously at Eastern Michigan where he led the Eagles to a pair of WNIT appearances in 2015 and 2016 highlighting a four-year turnaround of the program. EMU was 8-22 just prior to his arrival in Ypsilanti before posting 20-plus wins in 2014-15 and 2015-2016.
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