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Theresa Shank Grentz

Current position
Title	Head coach
Biographical details
Born	(1952-03-24) March 24, 1952 (age 72) Glenolden, Pennsylvania
Head coaching record
Overall	671-309
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame 2001

Theresa Shank Grentz (born March 24, 1952), from Glenolden, Pennsylvania, is the former head coach of the women's basketball program at the University of Illinois, Rutgers University and St. Josephs. She is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Her career record is 671-309 and she served as a head coach for 32 years, with the last 13 as the Illinois head coach. She was the Olympic head coach in 1992; the team captured the Bronze medal in Barcelona. She is tied for 25th all time in women's NCAA basketball coaching victories and only had two losing seasons in her 32 years of coaching basketball.

Immaculata

Grentz(née Shank) intended to go to college out of state, but while a high school senior, her family's house burned down, losing everything, so she decided to attend Immaculata. There she played for the Mighty Macs and led the team to three straight AIAW National Championships between 1972 and 1974. The 1974 title game was the first ever live coverage of a US women's basketball game. She scored over 1,000 points, and earned First Team All-America status three times. Immaculata retired her jersey, number 12. She was named the AMF Collegiate Player of the Year.

During her four years at the Pennsylvanian college, the Mighty Macs won three AIAW National Championships, from 1972-74. Grentz scored more than 1,000 career points for the Mighty Macs and was named a first team All-American for three consecutive years. She was named the 1974 AMF Collegiate Player of the Year and had her No. 12 jersey retired by Immaculata.

Grentz played before the first ever television audience of women's basketball when Immaculata won its third title on March 23, 1974.

St. Josephs

After graduating in 1974, Grentz began teaching at an elementary school, while working as a part-time assistant coach at Saint Joseph's College, where she later became head coach and compiled a record 27–5 in two seasons.

Rutgers

Grentz coached future New York Liberty player Sue Wicks at Rutgers, where she became the first full-time women's basketball head coach in the nation. She led Rutgers to nine straight postseason appearances and a 434-150 (.743) record during her tenure and won the 1982 AIAW National Championship.

Grentz guided the Lady Knights to a 30-3 record in 1986-87 to earn the Converse National Coach of the Year award. She also has been named the March of Dimes Coach of the Year (1990–91), the Metropolitan Women's Basketball Association Coach of the Year (1992–93) and the Newark Star Ledger Coach of the Year (1985–86). In addition, Grentz has twice been named the Kodak District II Coach of the Year and was honored four times as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. She was inducted into the NIKE Hall of Fame in 1992.

University of Illinois

Under her coaching, Angelina Williams became the highest Illini WNBA draft pick in 2005. Other players drafted include Cindy Dallas, now sidelined by injuries, in 2004, and Tauja Catchings, sister of WNBA player Tamika Catchings, who was drafted into the WNBA and now plays professionally in Sweden.

Grentz retired following the 2006-07 season after 12 season with the Illini. She compiled a record of 210-156 at Illinois, including one Big Ten Championship (1997), two Sweet Sixteens and five NCAA Tournament appearances.

USA Basketball

Grentz served as coach of the USA team at the 1990 Goodwill games, and the 1990 World Championships. The 1990 team won the gold medal in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Grentz served as head coach of the 1992 Olympic team in Barcelona, which won the bronze medal.

Prior to serving as Olympic coach, Grentz had previous international experience. In 1981, she directed the U.S. Dial Junior National Team in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and the U.S. Maccabiah Team in Israel, where the team won a silver medal. In 1985, she won the gold medal with the U.S.A. Select Team at the Jones Cup Tournament in Taiwan. Grentz coached the U.S. World University Games team in Toronto in 1989 before heading the 1990 U.S. World Championships team in Malaysia and the U.S. Goodwill Games team in Seattle. Both of her 1990 national teams won gold medals in their respective tournaments.

Records

The Grentz Record

Timeline

• •March 19, 1972...Theresa Grentz helps Immaculata to victory over West Chester State, 52-48 in the first ever AIAW national title game ever held for women's basketball. The game is played in Normal, Ill.
• •March 24, 1973...Immaculata defeats Queens College, 59-52 to capture second AIAW national title.
• •March 23, 1974...Immaculata wins third straight national title.
• •January 17, 1975...In first game as head coach for Theresa Grentz, St. Joseph's defeats Delaware, 64-60.
• •August, 1976 ....Named Head Coach at Rutgers University as the first full-time women's basketball coach.
• •March 21, 1980... Grentz leads Rutgers to the school's first Elite Eight in the AIAW national tournament.
• •March 28, 1982...Rutgers defeats Texas, 83-77, for the AIAW National Title. Patty Coyle scores 30 points for the Macs.
• •March, 1986...Rutgers advances to its first NCAA Tournament and advances to the East Regional Final
• •April, 1988...Three-time All-American Sue Wicks wins multiple Player of the Year honors, including the Naismith.
• •September 10, 1990...Theresa Grentz named Head Coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team
• •August 8, 1992...U.S. Team wins Bronze Medal Game with Cuba, 88-74.
• •January 17, 1994...Becoming the only unranked team to upset the country's number one team, Rutgers defeats top-ranked Tennessee, 87-77.
• •May 16, 1995...Theresa Grentz named sixth head women's basketball coach of the University of Illinois.
• •February 21, 1997...Illinois clinches its first ever Big Ten title.
• •March 22, 1997... Behind the three-point shooting of Krista Reinking, Illini nearly upset No. 1 Connecticut in the NCAA Regional Semifinal. That marked the first ever Sweet 16 appearance for the Illini.
• •March 16, 1998...Illinois defeats UC-Santa Barbara to earn its second straight NCAA Sweet 16 Bid.
• •December 18, 1999...With a 61-59 Illini win over Kansas, Grentz becomes the all-time winningest coach at Illinois.
• •June 9, 2001...Grentz receives the highest honor with her induction in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
• •December 29, 2002...Grentz records her 600th career victory—an 80-68 victory over Auburn.
• •February 26, 2006...Grentz becomes the 10th coach in NCAA history to reach the 650 win milestone after a 67-57 win at Michigan.
• •March 7, 2007...Grentz win the WBCA's Carol Eckman Award.

See also

• List of college women's basketball coaches with 600 wins

Notes

1. "WBHOF Inductees". WBHOF. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
2. "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
3. Grundy p. 160
4. ^ Porter p. 176–177
5. ^ "Player Bio: Theresa Grentz". CSTV Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
6. "Coaching Records". Rutgers University. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
7. "Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz Steps Down as Illinois Women's Basketball Coach". CSTV Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
8. "Theresa Grentz". CBS Interactive. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
9. "ELEVENTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR WOMEN -- 1990". USA Basketball. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
10. "Games of the XXVth Olympiad -- 1992". USA Basketball. Retrieved 4 June 2010.

References

• Grundy, Pamela (2005). Shattering the glass. New Press. ISBN 978-1-56584-822-1.
• David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6.

Template:2007 Philadelphia Sports HOF

v t e United States women's basketball squad – 1992 Summer Olympics – Bronze medal
4 Edwards 5 Charles 6 Davis 7 Jackson 8 Weatherspoon 9 Orr 10 Bullett 11 Jones 12 McClain 13 Dixon 14 Cooper 15 McConnell Coach: Grentz

Template:Persondata

• 1952 births
• Living people
• American basketball coaches
• Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball coaches
• Immaculata Mighty Macs women's basketball players
• People from Glenolden, Pennsylvania
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball coaches
• Saint Joseph's Hawks women's basketball coaches
• Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductees