Phyllis Mangina Steps Down as Head Women's Basketball Coach
3/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - After 25 seasons, Phyllis Mangina will step down as the head women's basketball coach at Seton Hall University, it was announced on Monday by Director of Athletics Joe Quinlan.
"I will forever cherish my time as the women's basketball coach at Seton Hall," said Mangina. "I have had the chance to develop so many special relationships over the years, and I could not be prouder of the success my players and I have shared on the court and in the classroom."
"Seton Hall owes Coach Mangina an incredible debt of gratitude for her years of service to the University," said Quinlan. "She has been a consummate professional while positively affecting the lives of countless young women and serving as a role model both on and off the court. Coach Mangina's contributions to the Seton Hall women's basketball program and the entire University community have been substantial and longstanding. Discussions are ongoing regarding a continued role for Phyllis at the University, and I look forward to working with her in a new capacity."
Mangina posted a record of 352-368 in her quarter-century tenure as the head coach at her alma mater. Under her watch, the Pirates earned NCAA Tournament berths in 1994 and 1995 to go along with three trips to the WNIT. Mangina coached three Honorable Mention All-Americans and 17 All-BIG EAST performers, while two of her former players, Texlin Quinney and Dana Wynne, played professionally in the WNBA.
A standout point guard from 1977 to 1981, Mangina led Seton Hall to a 93-28 mark during her four seasons. Each year the team advanced to post-season play, highlighted by a trip to the 1978 AIAW National Final. Mangina was team captain in both her junior and senior seasons and at the time of graduation, held Pirate records in career assists (441), assists in a season (151) and career steals (269). Currently 11th on the all-time scoring list with 1,195 points, she was one of 13 former Pirate student-athletes inducted into the Seton Hall Athletic Hall of Fame in November 1991.
Following her graduation from Seton Hall in 1981, Mangina served as an assistant coach at Wagner College for the 1981-82 campaign before returning to South Orange to take the same position with her former coach, Sue Regan. For three seasons, she was the program's top recruiter before becoming Seton Hall's second coach in September 1985, when Regan was promoted to the position of Associate Athletic Director.
Mangina was named the New Jersey College Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year for the 1988-89 season after the Pirates finished above the .500 mark in the BIG EAST for the first time. In 1989-90, her squad went on to post a 21-7 record and an 11-5 BIG EAST mark, earning her the BIG EAST Coach of the Year award. Mangina did a masterful job in guiding the 1990-91 Pirates to an 18-11 record and their first BIG EAST Tournament semifinal appearance despite the loss of three key players to injury.
In 1993-94, the Pirates achieved national prominence for the first time and posted the finest season in school history. Seton Hall posted a school record 27-5 mark and attained its first-ever national ranking, finishing the year ranked 14th by Associated Press and USA Today, its highest of the season. The Pirates earned the program's first bid to the NCAA Tournament, and won their first two games against Vermont and Texas to reach the NCAA "Sweet 16", where the season ended with a 64-60 loss to top-seeded Penn State in the Midwest Regional Semifinals. Mangina also led the team to a best-ever second-place finish in the BIG EAST Conference with a 16-2 record. She was honored as the 1994 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and earned a sweep of the regional coaching honors as she was named the 1994 Coach of the Year in Converse District 2, New Jersey and the Metropolitan Women's Basketball Association (MWBA).
The 1994-95 Pirates compiled a 24-9 record to give Mangina her second consecutive 20-win season, while earning their second straight bid to the NCAA Tournament. Seton Hall advanced to the NCAA Second Round for the second time, losing to defending champion North Carolina. Ranked 22nd in the AP Preseason Poll for the first time ever, the 1994-95 team spent 10 weeks in the Top 25. For her efforts, Mangina was named the New Jersey Coach of the Year and the Metropolitan Coach of the Year, winning both awards for the second straight season.
Seton Hall's 1995-96 team went 16-13, and claimed a share of the BIG EAST 7 regular season championship, Seton Hall's first-ever conference title. Mangina became Seton Hall women's basketball's winningest coach during the 1997-98 season.
The Pirates qualified for the WNIT in 2003, 2004 and 2007, advancing to the second round on the latter two occasions. The 2006-07 team finished with 19 victories, the program's most since the 1994-95 season.
A national search for a replacement will begin immediately.
