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Post by stag76 on Apr 11, 2022 14:50:06 GMT -5
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Post by jenningsbeach on Apr 11, 2022 15:05:08 GMT -5
This out-of-the-blue tweet yesterday now may have some context.
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Post by FU73 on Apr 11, 2022 15:08:35 GMT -5
Fairfield Stags @fairfieldstags Welcome Carly Thibault-DuDonis to @fairfieldu as the head coach of @stagswbball ‼️ A veteran of two Final Fours and one of the nation's top recruiters, Carly Thibault-DuDonis (pronounced TEE-bow doo-DON-iss) has been named the Head Coach of the Fairfield University Women's Basketball program, as announced on Monday by Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann. Thibault-DuDonis most recently served as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Minnesota. "I am absolutely thrilled to introduce Carly Thibault-DuDonis as the Head Coach of Fairfield University Women's Basketball." said Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann. "In what was a comprehensive search process, it became abundantly clear that Carly embodies who we are and who we aspire to be; as a University, as an Athletics department, and as a championship caliber Women's Basketball program. She has achieved exceptional results at every step of her journey as a student-athlete and as a coach, consistently adding great value and making those around her better. Carly has astutely aligned herself with hall of fame mentors and effectively coalesced their best qualities into the person we hire today. She possesses a relentless work ethic, exudes an impressive basketball acumen, has established herself as an elite recruiter and articulates an authentic desire for the holistic development of young women. At this pivotal moment in our history, we are excited to have Carly at the helm of our Women's Basketball program.""I am honored to be named the next Head Women's Basketball Coach at Fairfield University," said Thibault-DuDonis. "In my coaching journey, it has always been my goal to be in places where I could positively impact young women's lives and be surrounded by others who wanted to do the same. Here at Fairfield, I've found a perfect fit. From the moment I first spoke with President Nemec, Paul Schlickmann, and Zach Dayton, their passion for women's basketball was apparent, and it was clear that our values aligned. I cannot thank them enough for entrusting me with the women's basketball program at this illustrious university. I cannot wait to get on campus to meet our student-athletes and begin developing relationships with them. We will continue to build a program that Fairfield can be proud of – one rooted in selflessness. It takes a village to be successful, and we will be ingrained in the Fairfield community in a noticeable way as we build a championship program together.""Our women's basketball program is clearly on the rise, having won our conference and competed energetically in the NCAA Tournament this past year, " said University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. "As we continue to advance as a modern Jesuit, Catholic university of national prominence, we are taking our athletics programs to greater heights. I had the pleasure of meeting with Carly Thibault-DuDonis and came away impressed with her integrity and her ambition. With her roots in the region and her extensive experience coaching and recruiting at the highest level, she is well prepared to be the leader who will propel the program ever more forward, building upon the excellent foundation that we have established."A standout at East Lyme High School in Connecticut, Thibault-DuDonis played collegiately at Monmouth University (2009-13). She earned All-Northeast Conference Third Team honors and was named the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior and helped the Hawks to a WNIT berth in her sophomore season. Thibault-DuDonis was the valedictorian of the Class of 2013 at Monmouth, graduating with a 4.0 GPA as a Psychology major with a double minor in Spanish and Health Studies. Thibault-DuDonis married her husband Blake DuDonis in the summer of 2017. Her father Mike Thibault is currently the head coach of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. The three-time WNBA Coach of the Year previously coached the Connecticut Sun and has been an assistant coach in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. A day, time and campus location for a press conference will be announced shortly. The press conference will be open to the public and also will be streamed live on the Stags Sports Network on FairfieldStags.com.
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Post by ctbobs on Apr 11, 2022 15:15:56 GMT -5
Working thru my feelings on this. Obviously I was hoping for Jallon for what he has done and his connections to the four seniors; and was kind of excited about the prospect of Fabbri possibly coming back. BUT, other than that, I am thinking this could be a HR. Great resume, have heard great things about her in the past. I need to think this thru, but starting to get excited.
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Post by FU73 on Apr 11, 2022 15:16:09 GMT -5
What they're saying about Carly Thibault-DuDonis: Lindsay Whalen, Head Women's Basketball Coach, University of Minnesota"I have known Coach Carly for roughly 20 years. In that time, I have seen her grow into an exceptional basketball coach and person. Carly's work ethic, drive and compassion are second to none in this profession. I cannot wait to see all of the success she is going to have at Fairfield." Tory Verdi, Head Women's Basketball Coach, University of Massachusetts"Fairfield has knocked this hire out of the park. Carly is one of the hardest working coaches in the business. I know that she will out work her opponents on a daily basis. I couldn't be more excited for Carly and Fairfield University as I know she will create a family environment, love her student-athletes and unite the entire athletic department." Sue Semrau, Retired Head Women's Basketball Coach, Florida State University"Carly is a rising star in the game of Women's Basketball. In addition to having a tremendous basketball mind, she WORKS to be a great teacher and build strong relationships. Fairfield has hired a fantastic head coach in Carly Thibault." Mike Thibault, General Manager and Head Coach, WNBA's Washington Mystics"We are so proud of and excited for Carly. She has been successful because of her incredible work ethic and her ability to relate to co-workers and players - which has led to great recruiting success at each place she has coached. Carly has grown up immersed in the game, and her understanding of all the X's and O's will allow her to make a smooth transition to Head Coach. But most of all, great coaches are great teachers on and off the court, and I think she has demonstrated that ability from the start of her coaching career. Although I am very biased, I believe Fairfield has set a great course for future success in Women's Basketball and it will be fun for all of us to watch." Stephanie Gaitley, Head Women's Basketball Coach, Fordham University"Carly is a coaching star in the making. I could see that when I coached her at Monmouth. She has a relentless work ethic and knows how to motivate those around her. It's a family of coaches and she will make them and Fairfield proud. Fairfield Women's Basketball is in great hands!" Jennifer Palmateer, Vice President of Program Development, Kay Yow Cancer Fund"What a great hire for Fairfield University! Carly is a proven winner both on and off the court and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. I look forward to watching her lead, teach, mentor and motivate the members of the women's basketball team to championships and beyond!" fairfieldstags.com/news/2022/4/11/womens-basketball-carly-thibault-dudonis-named-head-coach-of-fairfield-womens-basketball.aspx
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Post by FU73 on Apr 11, 2022 15:23:47 GMT -5
Carly Thibault-DuDonis is a "veteran of two Final Fours and one of the nation's top recruiters". It will be interesting to see how hiring this new head coach will effect the decisions of the four Stags already in the Transfer Portal - Callie Cavanaugh, Rachel Hakes, Andrea Hernangomez and Lou Lopez-Senechal?
Carly Thibault @ctbow God is SO GOOD! I am so thankful to be joining an amazing group of young women who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Stag nation, let’s go!!
Rebecca Lobo @rebeccalobo So happy for @ctbow @fairfieldstags getting a good one.
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Post by ctghostman on Apr 11, 2022 15:47:11 GMT -5
I’m disappointed. Not the hire that builds momentum into the new facility. Big risk-all potential/nothing proven. She might be great (and I hope she is) but IMO there were two ways to go-Jallon or a proven coach/alum in Fabbri.
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Post by sobro on Apr 11, 2022 16:41:23 GMT -5
This is a coach is well familiar with the higher end of the portal, which could be a big help as FF looks to retool. Minnesota has several players in, including 6'2 center Klarke Sconiers, who is a NYC product. In addition, there is nothing that says that the new coach can't retain people from the previous staff. IMO, a good hire on many levels. Congrats.
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Post by paulie74 on Apr 11, 2022 17:33:51 GMT -5
Certainly caught me by surprise and I guess the search firm did their job. Certainly explains why this took so long.
Carly's credentials are impressive and the only gap is she was never a head coach.
BUT we said that about Ed Cooley and look how that one turned out.
Look forward to meeting her and wish her all the best. Hopefully she may be able to hold on to those in the portal.
But, either way, she would be rebuilding in a year even if they did return.
Good Luck and Go Stags!
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Post by stags74 on Apr 11, 2022 19:26:34 GMT -5
Welcome, So it appears Carly will have the opportunity to return home, originally from CT I believe. She is kinda young to be a HC only graduating in 2013. She has big shoes to fill and will be in a rebuild situation now that four top FF players are in the transfer portal.
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Post by stag79 on Apr 11, 2022 19:53:49 GMT -5
This is the kind of hire you make when you want to elevate a program. Yes, it’s her first HC job. But she’s coming out of a top national program and her Dad is coaching in the WNBA. I think she’ll have a sounding board to go over game film with. Reputation as a good recruiter. Take a chance and you sometimes catch a star.
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Post by ctghostman on Apr 11, 2022 23:08:31 GMT -5
This is the kind of hire you make when you want to elevate a program. Yes, it’s her first HC job. But she’s coming out of a top national program and her Dad is coaching in the WNBA. I think she’ll have a sounding board to go over game film with. Reputation as a good recruiter. Take a chance and you sometimes catch a star. I hope you’re right but this is a risky hire. Elevating the program would have been Fabbri. Possibly running it back/status quo would have been Jollon. The risk is compounded by the lateness of the hire-transfers in and out matter- she’s now critical weeks behind and that’s on the administration.
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Post by stagthomas on Apr 11, 2022 23:17:22 GMT -5
Does anyone know if Frager had any input into the hiring process? Does the new coach have his blessing? I’m guessing no given Frager was not quoted in the article…
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Post by paulie74 on Apr 12, 2022 5:02:53 GMT -5
This is the kind of hire you make when you want to elevate a program. Yes, it’s her first HC job. But she’s coming out of a top national program and her Dad is coaching in the WNBA. I think she’ll have a sounding board to go over game film with. Reputation as a good recruiter. Take a chance and you sometimes catch a star. I hope you’re right but this is a risky hire. Elevating the program would have been Fabbri. Possibly running it back/status quo would have been Jollon. The risk is compounded by the lateness of the hire-transfers in and out matter- she’s now critical weeks behind and that’s on the administration. I think Fabbri would have been a good safe choice to keep the program going in the right direction. Not sure I would call it a bold move to elevate the program. (That would be moving to a better conference) It would be, IMO, a comparable replacement for Joe, as if he did not retire. Same with Jollon. This is yes a risk, but no risk no reward. It appears she has been raised on basketball as I on Sunday pasta and meatballs. Again I think back to the Cooley hiring. My reaction was "who is this guy?" It will be interesting to see if she offers any positions to the existing staff for the sake of continuity. Being from CT, she may have a relationship with them already.
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Post by stag79 on Apr 12, 2022 5:10:03 GMT -5
I hope you’re right but this is a risky hire. Elevating the program would have been Fabbri. Possibly running it back/status quo would have been Jollon. The risk is compounded by the lateness of the hire-transfers in and out matter- she’s now critical weeks behind and that’s on the administration. I think Fabbri would have been a good safe choice to keep the program going in the right direction. Not sure I would call it a bold move to elevate the program. (That would be moving to a better conference) It would be, IMO, a comparable replacement for Joe, as if he did not retire. Same with Jollon. This is yes a risk, but no risk no reward. It appears she has been raised on basketball as I on Sunday pasta and meatballs. Again I think back to the Cooley hiring. My reaction was "who is this guy?" It will be interesting to see if she offers any positions to the existing staff for the sake of continuity. Being from CT, she may have a relationship with them already. She may keep someone on. It happens. We can be pretty sure her assistants will be older than she is. Based on her family connections I’m sure she’ll have lots of options for her staff.
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