Le Moyne Athletics : LE MOYNE COLLEGE NAMES RICH CONOVER HEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

August 7, 2009

LE MOYNE COLLEGE NAMES RICH CONOVER HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH

Syracuse, N.Y. - Le Moyne College Director of Athletics Matt Bassett announced Friday, August 7 the hiring of Rich Conover as head women's basketball coach.

Conover, the 2003-04 America East Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, comes to Le Moyne following a five-year stint as head coach at Binghamton University. Conover replaces Jeanne Murphy, who was promoted to Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator (SWA) in June, at the helm of the Dolphins' program.

"I am extremely excited to become part of the outstanding environment Le Moyne College provides for both its students and employees alike," said Conover. "I would like to thank Matt Bassett and the Search Committee for this opportunity, as well as, for their time and insights regarding Le Moyne. I look forward to working with members of the Athletic Department and the entire College community to provide our student-athletes with the best possible experience."

"Simply put, we have great coaches here at Le Moyne and adding Coach Conover to our already rich stable of head coaches is a confirmation of the respect Le Moyne athletics has achieved within the coaching community," said Bassett. "Having worked with Rich in the past (at Binghamton), I have absolutely no doubts that he is the perfect fit for our institution - not only as a coach but as a leader and role model in our department."

Conover began his coaching career as the head men's basketball coach at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont in 1994. After leading the College of St. Joseph to a 13-win improvement in 1995-96 and earning Mayflower Conference Coach of the Year accolades, Conover took over as the head women's basketball coach at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. Conover's squad was ranked fourth nationally in team defense in the 1996-97 season and sported the nation's top team defense the following year. Conover then took the reigns of the women's basketball program at Oneonta State for the 1998-99 campaign. The following season, Conover began a four-year period as an assistant coach at Binghamton, during which time the Bearcats transitioned from an NCAA Division II institution to NCAA Division I. During the 2002-03 season, Conover was named the acting head coach for the final 16 games of the year. Prior to the start of the next season, he was named the head coach and remained in charge of the Bearcats through the 2007-08 campaign.

While leading the Bearcats, Conover posted a record of 74-87 and registered a seven-win improvement in his first full season as the head coach, the 18th-best improvement in the nation that season. Conover coached seven student-athletes who earned All-America East Conference recognition, four who tallied at least 1,000 points and 23 student-athletes who were named to the America East Academic Honor Roll. In addition, the 2001-02 squad finished the season with a 3.412 overall GPA to rank seventh on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Honor Roll among more than 300 Division I institutions and the 2003-04 team posted a 3.336 GPA to place ninth.

Conover is a 1987 graduate of Green Mountain College, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Leisure Facilities Resource Management. In 1993, he earned a Masters of Education from the College of St. Joseph.



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August 7, 2009 LE MOYNE COLLEGE NAMES RICH CONOVER HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH Syracuse, N.Y. - Le Moyne College Director of Athletics Matt Bassett announced Friday, August 7 the hiring of Rich Conover as head women's basketball coach. Conover, the 2003-04 America East Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, comes to Le Moyne following a five-year stint as head coach at Binghamton University. Conover replaces Jeanne Murphy, who was promoted to Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator (SWA) in June, at the helm of the Dolphins' program. "I am extremely excited to become part of the outstanding environment Le Moyne College provides for both its students and employees alike," said Conover. "I would like to thank Matt Bassett and the Search Committee for this opportunity, as well as, for their time and insights regarding Le Moyne. I look forward to working with members of the Athletic Department and the entire College community to provide our student-athletes with the best possible experience." "Simply put, we have great coaches here at Le Moyne and adding Coach Conover to our already rich stable of head coaches is a confirmation of the respect Le Moyne athletics has achieved within the coaching community," said Bassett. "Having worked with Rich in the past (at Binghamton), I have absolutely no doubts that he is the perfect fit for our institution - not only as a coach but as a leader and role model in our department." Conover began his coaching career as the head men's basketball coach at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, Vermont in 1994. After leading the College of St. Joseph to a 13-win improvement in 1995-96 and earning Mayflower Conference Coach of the Year accolades, Conover took over as the head women's basketball coach at Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont. Conover's squad was ranked fourth nationally in team defense in the 1996-97 season and sported the nation's top team defense the following year. Conover then took the reigns of the women's basketball program at Oneonta State for the 1998-99 campaign. The following season, Conover began a four-year period as an assistant coach at Binghamton, during which time the Bearcats transitioned from an NCAA Division II institution to NCAA Division I. During the 2002-03 season, Conover was named the acting head coach for the final 16 games of the year. Prior to the start of the next season, he was named the head coach and remained in charge of the Bearcats through the 2007-08 campaign. While leading the Bearcats, Conover posted a record of 74-87 and registered a seven-win improvement in his first full season as the head coach, the 18th-best improvement in the nation that season. Conover coached seven student-athletes who earned All-America East Conference recognition, four who tallied at least 1,000 points and 23 student-athletes who were named to the America East Academic Honor Roll. In addition, the 2001-02 squad finished the season with a 3.412 overall GPA to rank seventh on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Honor Roll among more than 300 Division I institutions and the 2003-04 team posted a 3.336 GPA to place ninth. Conover is a 1987 graduate of Green Mountain College, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Leisure Facilities Resource Management. In 1993, he earned a Masters of Education from the College of St. Joseph.