As the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team captures all the attention, things are apparently happening behind the scenes in the search to replace Bobbie Kelsey as the head coach of the women’s basketball program.
Dennis Punzel of the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that George Washington head coach Jonathan Tsipis is the leading candidate for the job. His hire would make history at UW, as the first man to be hired as the head coach of the women’s basketball program.
Why would Tsipsis be a leading candidate? Try taking a GW program that was 25-61 over the three previous seasons to his hire in to a team that is 92-38 in the last four seasons as head coach. He also has a great pedigree as an assistant coach, spending nine years under the tutelage of legendary Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw
Our sources are also telling us that there has been interest in three other names — Courtney Banghart of Princeton, Katie Abrahamson-Henderson of Albany and Kevin Borseth of Green Bay.
Abrahamson-Henderson is a name we previously profiled in the five names we’d be calling on this search.
Borseth’s inclusion is very interesting given his previous unsuccessful tenure at Michigan and re-hire at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Many believe he would be happy to stay at Green Bay and continue their annual runs to the NCAA tournament. There is also his infamous post-game press conference meltdown while at Michigan to consider.
Banghart would also be an interesting choice, as she is 192-73 in nine seasons at the helm of the Tigers’ program. She also has finished first in the Ivy League in five of the last seven seasons and no worse than second in each of the last seven seasons.
Considering the high standards of academics at Princeton and the quick turnaround of the program, there is great reason to look in to her as a potential hire.
However, as Punzil’s article points out, no decision is likely to come until after the Badgers men’s basketball season ends. With most of the top potential candidates on the women’s side already out of the NCAA tournament, it makes the path towards deciding on a hire a lot easier.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
