PC hires new women's basketball coach
John Rooke, GoLocalProv Sports Editor
PC hires new women's basketball coach
A former National Player of the Year will now lead the Providence Friars' women's basketball team on the floor. The question remains, however, can she coach as well as she once played?
If Susan Robinson-Fruchtl can do that, then Providence College will have found something they haven't had in awhile - a consistent winner in women's hoops.
Robinson-Fruchtl (pronounced Fruck-tle) was introduced as the ninth women's coach in the program's 38-year history Wednesday. Over the past seven seasons, Phil Seymore brought the program from the abyss of a 1-27 year in 2004-05 to a 19-win season in 2010, plus a berth in the WNIT. The team finished 13-17 this past season, and Seymore resigned from his position last month to pursue other opportunities.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"I want to take a moment to publicly thank Phil Seymore for what he did for our program," PC athletic director Bob Driscoll said at Robinson-Fruchtl's introductory news conference. "We are very, very close to where we want to be. But we're not there, yet. (Robinson-Fruchtl) has demonstrated a high level of success as a coach, a player and in the classroom at a variety of levels. Susan is a winner."
Robinson-Fruchtl comes to PC after spending the past five seasons at Saint Francis University (PA), where she led the Red Flash to three straight Northeast Conference championship games, two conference titles and two NCAA tournament berths in 2010 and 2011. She was also named the NEC Coach of the Year after the 2011 season, with Saint Francis finishing 22-11 - the 3rd most wins in that program's history.
Robinson-Fruchtl also spent eight years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Penn State, which included four 20-win seasons. As a student-athlete, Robinson-Fruchtl is only one of two players in Penn State history to score 2000 points and grab 1000 rebounds, and she won all-American honors along with the Wade Trophy in 1992. The Wade Trophy is the women's hoop equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for college football.
"I truly believe that this is a great fit for me and for Providence," Robinson-Fruchtl said. "Having played at a very high level, I am excited to be able to recruit and work with student-athletes, who will hopefully share some of the same goals that I had as a player."
Some of her fellow coaches - and future opponents - have already taken note of the new arrival on the Providence campus. "Susan Robinson-Fruchtl is a great coach," said DePaul head coach Doug Bruno. "She has done a phenomenal job at Saint Francis. Susan is one of the best. The Big East has just continued to add to its already long list of difficult nights."
"It is an awesome opportunity to build a program and coach in the Big East," Robinson-Fruchtl added. "It is one of the premier conferences in the nation, and it will present a serious challenge every night we step on the court. I will strive to get student-athletes who will love Providence, and who will make people proud to come watch them."