Head Coach
STEPHANIE GAITLEY
Experience:
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, FDU (NCAA Division I - NEC) - 2023-Present
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, Fordham (NCAA Division I - A-10) - 2011-2022
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, Monmouth (NCAA Division I - NEC) - 2008-2011
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, LIU-Brooklyn (NCAA Division I - NEC) - 2002-2008
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, Saint Joseph's (NCAA Division I - A-10) - 1991-2001
- Head Women's Basketball Coach, Richmond (NCAA Division I - CAA) - 1985-1991
Personal:
- Born and raised in Ocean City, N.J.
- Bachelor of Arts, Communications, Villanova (1983)
- Master of Arts, Secondary Education, Villanova (1983)
- Gaitley and her husband Frank have three adult sons: Dutch, D.C. and Jordan “Coop” Gaitley
Honors:
- Career record of 684-393 (.635)
- 12th Winningest Coach in NCAA Division I (among active head coaches)
- 20 postseason bids
- 11 WNIT appearances
- Nine NCAA tournament appearances
- 1982 CoSIDA Academic All-American
- Three-time Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Coach of the Year
- Villanova Athletic Hall of Fame enshrinee (1993)
- Inductee into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame (1990)
- Member of the South Jersey and Ocean City High School Halls of Fame
- Coach as part of the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, earning a silver medal
- Four-year student-athlete at Villanova
- 2006-07 Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year (LIU-Brooklyn)
At FDU:
- Announced as the eighth head coach in program history on April 21, 2023.
- Takes the reins from three-time former assistant coach Angelika Szumilo.
- Gaitley's sister Coco Vanderslice played on FDU's women's basketball team from 1982-85.
- Uniquely, Gaitley and her two sisters, Coco and Courtney played in the same game during the 1981-82 season, with Coco on FDU's side and Stephanie and Courtney playing for Villanova. The game marked the first time in NCAA history that three sisters participated in the same game.
Fordham Highlights:
- Two-time A-10 Champion with the Rams (2014, 2019)
- 220 wins at Fordham, including 108 in-conference
- Two NCAA tournament appearances, six WNIT berths (2020 tournament cancelled due to COVID-19, would have been seven)
- Gaitley's teams posted seven 20-win seasons, seven 10-plus conference win campaigns and combined for 20 postseason victories
- MBWA Coach of the Year in 2013, 2018 and 2019
- BCANY Coach of the Year in 2019
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Student-athletes under her tutelage earned
4x WBCA All-America Honorable Mention
2x A-10 Player of the Year
1x A-10 Defensive Player of the Year
Nine First Team All-A-10 honors
Five Second Team All-A-10 honors
Four Third Team All-A-10 honors
4x A-10 All-Rookie Team
4x A-10 All-Defensive Team
Seven A-10 Tournament Most Valuable Players
7x A-10 All-Tournament Team
29x A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll
30 A-10 Players of the Week
17 A-10 Rookies of the Week
One MBWA Player of the Year
One MBWA Rookie of the Year
Five MBWA First Team honorees
Three MBWA Second Team honorees
One MBWA Third Team honoree - Gaitey's teams shined defensively in the national rankings, finishing as high as ninth in scoring defense in 2019, allowing just 54.4 points per game
Monmouth Highlights:
- Advanced to the 2011 NEC Championship Final
- Selected to participate in WNIT