Stephanie Gaitley poses with new players at FDU after being introduced as Knights’ new head coach (top), son Jordan, and former players at Ocean City High School (bottom). (Photos by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
TEANECK, N.J. — You can say this all started the afternoon of March 12. It all added up to destiny with a spicing of irony.
While FDU dropped a heartbreaker in the Northeast Conference tournament final to Sacred Heart, Stephanie Gaitley watched courtside to support her long time assistant Angelika Szumilo, the Knights’ head coach and her former longtime assistant. After the game, Tobin Anderson, then the FDU men’s coach, dropped by to talk a few minutes with Gaitley. As they parted, Gaitley wished Anderson luck in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Anderson thanked her, while adding, “you belong back in (college) coaching.”
Not long after FDU caught the nation’s attention with its historic upset of No. 1 seed Purdue, Anderson was off to Iona after Rick Pitino left for St. John’s. Szumilo later followed, heading to New Rochelle to succeed Billi Chambers, who departed for Xavier. FDU was in the market for a new coach, and AD Brad Hurlbut wasted little time contacting Gaitley. Within a few days of their initial contact, Gaitley signed on as the new FDU coach.
The introductory press conference at the Rothman Center Monday saw Hurlbut and interim university president Dr. Michael Avaltroni comment on Gaitley’s leadership as a key to sustaining the excellence of the program’s recent seasons.
“Her familiarity with our institution and the NEC,” Avaltroni noted, “will help the program immediately as we transition into the next chapter of Knights women’s basketball.”
In over three decades of college coaching, Gaitley has amassed 684 victories. She has been a winner at every stop and turned several programs around. In addition, she is very familiar with the NEC, having coached at two of the member schools. She took over at LIU in 2002, building on the successful foundation laid by her predecessor, Tony Bozzella. Spending six seasons in Brooklyn, the Blackbirds hit the 20-win plateau in both of her last two campaigns. Then, it was off to Monmouth, where she spent three seasons. Then, her most recent foray on the college circuit saw her transform a dormant Fordham program into a perennial winner. Prior to her arrival on Rose Hill, the Rams had zero postseason trips in the prior decade. By her second season, they were in the Atlantic 10 championship game. Overall, she led Fordham to two A-10 titles and seven WNIT appearances. This past season, she was at her Ocean City (N.J.) High School alma mater, leading the Red Raiders to a South Jersey sectional crown.
Gaitley played and learned from two legends in the game, Pat Dougherty at Ocean City and Harry Perretta at Villanova. Given her emphasis on family in coaching and everyday life, she abides by and instills to her charges the words of her late parents: Be the nicest person you can ever be.
The conference has changed a bit membership-wise since Gaitley’s last go-round on an NEC sideline. For starters, Monmouth is no longer a member. Regardless, she has kept in touch with the conference scene, especially since Szumilo took over at FDU four years ago. There is familiarity.
“It will be nice to work again with (commissioner) Noreen (Morris) and (supervisor of officials) Jon Levinson,” Gaitley said. Already building her staff, she added Madison Stanley, who started for Szumilo and spent this past year on the College of Charleston staff, as an assistant.
Recruiting is a program’s lifeblood. Her philosophy is simple and effective.
“I always say in recruiting, win your backyard,” Gaitley opined. “I have international contacts, which we will use, but right here in New Jersey is outstanding talent. South Jersey, where Ocean City plays, has a few players we faced I would want to recruit.”
The Shore Conference, based a little north of Ocean City, is a gold mine of talent. Gaitley has great contacts in the Shore from her Monmouth days, not to mention Sarah Karpell — one of her Fordham players — is the daughter of Dawn Karpell, the coach of arguably the best program in the Garden State, St. John Vianney. And right in FDU’s backyard, Northern New Jersey schools have turned out their share of talent. The recent success of the men’s team is also something to be utilized on the recruiting trail.
“The men’s and women’s programs go hand-in-hand at FDU,” Gaitley said. “The outstanding showing by the men got the FDU name out there nationally. Now recruits know more about us. That recognition is something to use to our advantage.”
A hard worker who enjoys recruiting, the ink was barely dry on her new contract as Gaitley was at an AAU event sizing up future Knights. The transfer portal came up in the discussion. FDU will utilize it if need be, but the downside of the portal is coaches have to essentially re-recruit their players each year. Lauren Park-Lane’s name was mentioned, as the dynamic Seton Hall guard recently announced she will be headed to Mississippi State.
“I am friends with (Seton Hall coach) Tony (Bozzella),” Gaitley said. “I know losing Lauren to another school was tough. She is talented, a great kid and in a great conference, the Big East. But like I was telling Ang, if you lose a kid in the portal, just don’t take it personally. It’s happening all over and that’s the way college basketball is these days.”
Keeping in touch with her philosophy of facing tough non-league competition to prepare for the conference slate, Gaitley is excited about the schedule she inherits. On the docket are Seton Hall, Vanderbilt and Georgetown. The opener is at Iowa.
“(Iowa coach) Lisa Bluder and I are good friends,” Gaitley said. “For our kids to go out there, play the NCAA runner-up, a great player in Caitlin Clark, and experience that atmosphere is special. And hey, once the ball goes up you just never know.”
The transition from Szumilo to Gaitley will be a seamless one. Both look on defense on the court as job one. Off the court, the priority is academics.
“You come here to be a student-athlete,” Gaitley said. “The student comes first. (Szumilo and I) coached together 16 years. She did a great job of building a culture here we are looking to continue and sustain.”
That makes it easier on the returning players. Speaking with the returnees in attendance, at the press conference they are all aware Gaitley’s emphasis is defense. They unanimously embrace it, having experienced it with the prior coaching staff.
NEC commissioner Noreen Morris was also in attendance, and remarked how it speaks volumes of a coach to go from college to high school in one year, connecting with younger players and with the same outstanding success, on and off the court.
What Morris pointed out was evident when several of Gaitley’s Ocean City players walked into Rothman Center for the press conference. A three-hour trip aside, those girls wanted to be there for someone who meant so much and impacted their lives in such a short time. Tori, a senior, Madison, a sophomore, Ayanna, a senior, Avery, a senior and Sophia, a sophomore, all attended and spoke so highly of their coach. Tori recalled the first practices under Gaitley.
“We dove on loose balls,” she said. “Coach instructed the proper way to dive for the ball. If we didn’t talk on defense, we ran.” Madison noted how they constantly changed defenses.
“We played 2-3, man, 2-2-1 pressure,” she said. “We constantly mixed it up.”
Each young lady genuinely enjoyed the experience playing for Gaitley, whose sister, FDU alumna Coco Vanderslice, served as an assistant. Ocean City captured the South Jersey championship, defeating Mainland Regional to avenge two losses in the regular season and cap off the season a most memorable few months together.
Family is the foundation of a Stephanie Gaitley program, and ultimately, the way she lives her life. Present on Monday was her aforementioned sister Coco who played at FDU in the 1980s. In fact, Gaitley and her sisters, Coco and Courtney made NCAA history. The trio competed in the same game during the 1981-82 season, with Stephanie and Courtney playing for Villanova and Coco for FDU. Her husband of over 40 years, Frank, was also in attendance, as was Jordan, one of their three sons.
“When I visited FDU, I just felt a family atmosphere,” Gaitley admitted.
That family atmosphere will continue and thrive under her watch, as will success on the court.
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