Seton Hall has again gone to Iona for a hiring, bringing in Anthony Bozzella, to become the fourth head coach in women's basketball program history.
In 11 seasons at Iona Bozzella earned a 152-187 record, winning 20 games three times after beginning his Iona career with a 1-27 season. In the 2005-06 season he led Iona to their first winning season in 23 years.
While Bozzella has experience in rebuilding programs and excels at it, he said he does not see the job at the Hall as a complete rebuilding.
"I think it's a combination of both," Bozzella said. "I think we've gotten it to a next level from where it was rebuilding, but it's also certainly not at the level that any of us here are going to be excited about. At the end of the day we're not going to have a press conference standing here next year saying 'Wow, you had a great year you won five Big East games.'"
Bozzella said that he feels that the team can start next season with the mindset of winning right away.
"I think we can be competitive right away," he said. "What competitive is I'll let you know in early November, but I am certainly with the enthusiasm that this is not going to be a long-term process, I want to contend right away."
It's a bit of a homecoming for Bozzella, as he graduated from the Hall in 1988. He said he met his wife at the Hall and his time spent on campus helped him grow as a person.
Bozzella is also bringing fellow Iona coach, Lauren DeFalco, over to be one of his assistants and his main recruiter. Bozzella said he is proud to have her on his staff, noting that it shows the commitment of the university to be willing to pay for two quality coaches on one staff.
"Lauren DeFalco is one of the toughest competitive players I've ever seen," he said. "She played her best in the playoffs, two time All-Tournament Team in the MAAC playoffs. She's a Jersey girl, got great connections. We have two verbal commitments already from New Jersey, underclassmen, that she's already taken care of, and we're excited by that, and I think she's a great recruiter, she's extremely loyal, she's an extremely hard worker."
Bozzella will hope to improve upon the team's 11-20 season, in which they won their first Big East Championship game since 2009.
Brandon Biskobing can be reached at Brandon.biskobing@student.shu.edu. He can also be found on Twitter @WSOU_Bisko.
