BARBARA STEVENS - NEW YORK TIMES FEATURE
Stevens Finishes Legendary Career at Bentley.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - The day has finally come, as longtime Bentley women's basketball head coach Barbara Stevens officially enters retirement on Friday, July 31, after a legendary 34-year tenure with the Falcons - which included an undefeated national championship season in 2013-14 and an election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stevens, the fourth all-time winningest coach in NCAA women's basketball history, accumulated 1,058 wins in a coaching career that spanned five decades. She is one of only six women's basketball coaches at all NCAA levels to reach the 1,000-win milestone. She is a five-time winner of the Russell Athletic/WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year and a 16-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year.
"This is a bittersweet time for me," said Stevens. "I am stepping away from a profession that has been my life's work and passion for 44 years. It has been an incredible honor to serve as the women's basketball coach at Bentley University for the last 34 years. I have been blessed to coach so many incredible young women who were champions on and off the court."
The NE10 talked to some of Stevens' peers and former players about her Hall of Fame career - including NE10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert, Bentley Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students Andrew Shepardson, Bentley Director of Athletics Bob DeFelice, Bentley men's basketball coach Jay Lawson, new Bentley women's basketball coach C White, Assumption women's basketball head coach Kerry Phayre, Stonehill women's basketball head coach Trisha Brown, and former Bentley standouts Lauren Battista and Courtney Finn. For these interviews, please see below.
From all of us at the NE10, THANK YOU COACH STEVENS!
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.