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Gina Castelli enters her 20th season at Siena as the winningest basketball coach in school history. Castelli surpassed legendary men's coach Dan Cunha in 2004 shortly before picking up her milestone 250th career victory. She begins the 2009-10 campaign one win shy of 300. In 2005, Castelli guided the Saints to their 500th win in program history and in 2008-09 won Siena's 200th MAAC game. During her tenure, Castelli has turned Siena into a perennial contender both in the MAAC and the Northeast. The Saints have posted seven 20-win seasons during her 19-year leadership. In 2001, Siena advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Castelli became the seventh women's basketball coach in Siena history prior to the 1990-91 season, after serving as an assistant at Siena under Jim Jabir. In her 19-year reign, Castelli has taken home seven MAAC regular-season championships and one tournament championship, compiling a 197-120 conference record and a 299-245 mark overall. In her tenure at Siena, Castelli has been honored on five occasions as MAAC Coach of the Year (1991, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002). Castelli wasted no time engraving her name in MAAC history. In her inaugural season (1990-91), she guided the Saints to a 21-7 record, placing second in the MAAC. She also received her first Coach of the Year award. As the fourth youngest coach in Division I at the time (27), Castelli was selected New York State Division I Coach of the Year. She repeated the honor in 1999. Castelli has coached 34 All-MAAC selections, including 14 First Team honorees. She has mentored five MAAC Players of the Year, four MAAC Rookies of the Year and most notably a GTE District II All-American. Player of the Year honorees include: Val Higgins (1991), Liz Lops (1994), Melanie Halker (1998 & 1999), Gunta Basko (2001 & 2002) and Liene Jansone (2003). Basko also earned Kodak All-American District II status at Siena and had her jersey placed in the women's basketball Hall of Fame's Ring of Honor. During the 2005-06 season, Lops ('90s), Halker ('90s), Basko ('00s) and Jansone ('00s) were named to the MAAC 25th Anniversary Team. Off the court, Castelli's student-athletes have enjoyed benchmark success in the classroom. The Saints were recognized in 2006-07 and 2007-08 by the NCAA for posting a multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the top 10 percent of all Division I women's basketball programs. Siena was among 32 institutions in 2006-07 and 35 in 2007-08 after securing an impressive multi-year APR. Additionally, five Saints earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors awarded at the conclusion of the 2008-09 campaign. Siena tied for the national lead in 2003 with a 100% graduation rate according to the NCAA report. The program was also one of just two (Stanford) in the 64-team NCAA Tournament in 2001 to have graduated 100 percent of incoming players over a seven-year period. Castelli posted an overall record of 72-21 (.774) from 2000-2003 and orchestrated three consecutive postseason appearances. She led Siena to 24 wins and the program's first MAAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2001. In 2002, Castelli guided the Saints to their second straight postseason appearance (WNIT) and added another 23 wins to the record book. Siena set a school record, tallying a 19-game winning streak in 2003. During that season, the Saints advanced to the Second Round of the WNIT and completed a third straight 20-win season, the longest streak since the program turned Division I. The 1993-94 campaign marked a breakthrough for both Castelli and the program. The Saints finished the year with a program-best 24-4 record. Three years later, the women posted a 17-game winning streak and another MAAC regular-season championship. The very next season (1998-99) the Saints tallied their second consecutive 20-win season. In 2000-01 Castelli mentored the squad to a program-record 17-1 conference record. Castelli was asked to lead the Siena women's basketball program into the `90s. She brilliantly achieved this and more. At the time of her hiring, former athletic director William Kirsch explained, "Gina's a very knowledgeable basketball person and the continuity and stability she will give our program is important." Entering her 19th season, Castelli has proved just that and continues to bring the program to new heights. A 1986 graduate of Canisius, Castelli finished her career as one of the greatest players in school history, ranking third in scoring (1,524 points), assists (578) and steals (273). She was inducted into the Golden Griffin Hall of Fame in 1997. A true student-athlete, Castelli was an Academic All-America while earning her bachelor's degree. Castelli is an active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, serving as WBCA captain. She is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Women's Athletics Administrators, as well as a Division I Representative of the New York State Coaches Association. She has served on the NCAA East Regional Advisory Committee from 1999-2002. For the past six years, Castelli has facilitated an active partnership between the Siena women's basketball program and the Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer (CRAAB). Last summer she was recognized as the 11th annual BMW Hero Award for her efforts in educating the public on breast cancer awareness. |
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