Joan Bonvicini

rdf:langString Joan Bonvicini

rdf:langString Joan Bonvicini

rdf:langString Joan Bonvicini

rdf:langString American

rdf:langString Joan Bonvicini (born October 10, 1953) is the former head coach for the Seattle University women's basketball team, the Redhawks, and one of only 18 coaches in Division I women's basketball history with 701 career victories. She was head coach at the University of Arizona for 17 seasons, leading the Wildcats to the Women's National Invitation Tournament championship in 1996. She was fired by Arizona on March 17, 2008 with one year left on her contract, after a disappointing 10-20 record in her final season. Before joining Arizona in 1991, she coached the Long Beach State 49ers to a 325-71 mark over 12 seasons. During her tenure, the 49ers won at least 24 games each season, winning 10 Big West Conference titles and making 10 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including Final Four appearances in 1987 and 1988. Bonvicini is the all-time most successful coach in the history of University of Arizona. She guided the Wildcats to nine post-season appearances, including one Women's National Invitation Tournament championship. The Wildcats finished in the upper echelon of the Pacific-10 Conference nine years under her direction. In February 2007, Bonvicini reached the 600 win milestone, becoming the 18th coach in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach this mark. She coached many talented players at Long Beach, including LaTaunya Pollard, the 1983 Wade Trophy winner, 3-time 1st team All-American, 1980 Olympic Team member, and member of the women's basketball hall of fame; 2-time 1st team All-American and 1988 U.S. Olympic Team member Cindy Brown; 1985 1st team All-American Kirsten Cummings; and 2-time 1st team All-American Penny Toler, the current general manager of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. At Arizona, she coached one All-American, five honorable mention All-American selections, one Pacific-10 Player of the Year, and 14 Academic All-Pacific-10 selections. Entering the 2009-10 season, Bonvicini held a career mark of 612-294 as a head coach, including a 287-223 record at Arizona. In Arizona's 2003-04 season, she led the Wildcats to a perfect home record and a regular season Pacific-10 title. She is a 1975 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, where, as a guard, she led her team to third and fourth place in the AIAW tournament (the AIAW existed prior to the NCAA allowing women to compete for national titles). Bonvicini was a finalist for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team. Bonvicini was inducted as a player into the Southern Connecticut State University Hall of Fame in 1989, the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. In October 1996, she was inducted as a coach into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame. Bonvicini began her coaching career under the wing of two of the game's finest coaches: Darlene May of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and Frances Schaafsma of California State University, Long Beach.