KRISTEN SWANN
Special to The Leader
Former WNBA coach Linda Hill-MacDonald has been named as the head women’s basketball coach at Fredonia.
Hill-MacDonald served as last year’s interim coach before being named to the head coaching job this past summer.
“It feels great to be back at Fredonia for a second season,” said Hill-MacDonald. “I feel more prepared this year since I now know the athletes, am familiar with the campus and athletic department and understand the demands of the SUNYAC Conference.”
Before coming to Fredonia, Hill-MacDonald completed over 30 years coaching at various levels. She spent seven years as the head coach at the University at Buffalo and has also coached at Temple University, The University of Minnesota and the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers. During her time with the Rockers, she was additionally chosen to coach the Eastern Conference in the 1999 WNBA All-Star game. Hill-MacDonald also was an assistant coach for the Washington Mystics as well as at the University of South Carolina.
Hill-MacDonald has received numerous professional honors including the 1989 WBCA Carol Eckman award. She was twice named Atlantic 10 coach of the year as well as Big 5 coach of the year. She was also president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and she was an honorary chairperson of the 1991 International Special Olympics.
With such an impressive resume, it is hard to believe that there could have been a doubt that she’d be asked to stay. As interim coach, she helped the Blue Devils to a 15-10 overall record last season, an improvement from their 12-12 record the previous year.
Hill-MacDonald will be looking forward and hoping to improve even further on that record in the upcoming season by beginning to prepare her players now.
“Our preparation will begin with the players working together to develop a high level of fitness before we actually get on the court on October 15,” she said. “Our approach will be to create an intense environment and to motivate the athletes to strive to become the best they can through discipline and a consistent work ethic.”
Although Hill-MacDonald will be facing some obstacles this season, she believes that her remaining players are up for the task.
“This season we will be challenged to replace Becky Hebert and Jaimie Warren, our top two scorers whom we lost due to graduation. This year’s team will need to work very hard, maintain a focus and be committed to excellence in everything they do.”
That challenge starts as soon as the women’s basketball team prepares for their upcoming season; they are allowed to start practices sometime between late September and early October, as per NCAA rules.