COACH SEYMORE'S GIRLS' BASKETBALL CAMPS - Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island

COACH SEYMORE'S GIRLS' BASKETBALL CAMPS
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Head Coach Phil Seymore

Phil Seymore is in the midst of his fifth season as head coach of the Providence College women's basketball team. He was hired as the eighth coach in the program's 34-year history on April 7, 2005. Prior to his appointment, the Friars won just five games during a two-year period from 2003 through 2005, including an 0-32 record versus BIG EAST Conference opponents.

During Seymore's first season with the Friars, the team posted an 8-19 overall record and a 3-13 mark in the BIG EAST. It marked a 7.5 game improvement in the win column. In 2006-07, the Friars showed even greater signs of progress with a final record of 13-16 (3-13 BIG EAST). On January 3, 2007, Seymore led Providence to an impressive 106-94, double-overtime, victory over 13th-ranked Louisville during BIG EAST regular-season play. At the time, the Cardinals were one of five NCAA Division I programs who were undefeated.

The Friars' 13 victories on the year marked the most in a single season since the 2001-02 campaign, when PC finished the year at 13-15. Providence started the year with a 7-1 record, including victories in each of its first six games. It stands at PC's best start since 1990-91 when the team began the year with seven-straight victories.

Furthermore, Providence completed the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 10-3 record. It marked the first time since the 2002-03 season that PC had posted a winning record in non-conference play. It also marked the most non-conference victories in a single season since 1990-91.

In 2007-08, the Friars posted a 12-17 overall record - giving Providence double-digit victories for the second-straight season under Seymore's guidance. The last time the program recorded double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons dates back to the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. Additionally, Providence finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with 10 wins for the second-straight year.

Last year, during the 2008-09 campaign, the Friars posted a 10-20 overall mark and a 4-12 record in the BIG EAST. Providence finished in a three-way tie for 13th place in the league standings and advanced to the BIG EAST Conference Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 14 seed. It marked Providence's first appearance at the league's post-season tournament since 2005.

Providence posted double-digit victories for the third-straight season. It marks the first time PC has posted double-digit wins in three-straight seasons since doing so during the 1999-00 campaign through the 2001-02 season. Additionally, the Friars' four victories in league play marked the most since the 2001-02 season when the squad posted a 7-9 record in league play and finished in eighth place. The Friars also defeated a nationally-ranked opponent for the third-straight season, upsetting No. 19/20 Pittsburgh, 77-69, on January 7 in Providence, R.I.

Prior to his appointment as head coach, Seymore served as an assistant coach for the Friar men's basketball team, helping the squad earn NCAA Tournament berths in 2001 and 2004.

"Phil Seymore brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our women's basketball program," Driscoll said. "He has enjoyed success as a student-athlete, a professional athlete and as a coach. He understands the mission of the College and is dedicated to rebuilding our program while providing a positive experience for our student-athletes."

Seymore came to Providence in 2000 after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Richmond for three seasons under Head Coach John Beilein. While at Richmond, he was responsible for the team's recruiting and the offensive and defensive development of guards and wingmen. He also prepared scouting reports of the opposing teams for the Spiders.

"Phil was one of my first full-time assistant coaches [at West Virginia]," Michigan Men's Basketball Head Coach John Beilein stated upon Seymore's appointment. "I knew in a short time that I wanted him to be my assistant forever. His attention to detail is impressive, but what is equally impressive is how he looks at the big picture -- life, basketball and recruiting. This is a great selection for Providence and the BIG EAST."

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a graduate of Canisius College, Seymore began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Canisius in 1983 under his former coach Nick Macarchuk (a former PC assistant coach). After one season at Canisius, he went to Turner Carroll High School in Buffalo, N.Y. where he coached for four years, including two seasons as the head coach. His 1989-90 team at Turner won the State Catholic School Class C title and the 1988-89 squad captured the Manhattan Cup Championship. After leaving Turner Carroll High School in 1990, Seymore spent the next seven years as an assistant coach at Canisius. Five of those seven years were under Beilein.

Seymore began his collegiate playing career at Independence Junior College before transferring to Canisius. At Canisius, he averaged 16.8 points and 4.6 assists in two seasons as a point guard. Seymore was selected in the seventh round of the 1982 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played one season for Albany of the Continental Basketball Association where he earned 1983 All-Star honors. Seymore is a member of Canisius' Athletic Hall of Fame.

Seymore resides in Rumford, R.I., with his wife, Alicia, and his daughter, Amani.

Jonath Nicholas
Assistant Coach

Jonath Nicholas joined the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach on Wednesday, May 14 and embarks on his second season with the program in 2009-10. Prior to his arrival at Providence, Nicholas spent four seasons as an assistant coach at BIG EAST foe St. John's in Queens, N.Y.

While at St. John's, Nicholas helped to guide the Red Storm to some of the most successful seasons in program history under the direction of Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico. The Red Storm qualified for the BIG EAST Conference Tournament each of his four seasons with the team. The squad earned two WNIT invitations (2005, 2008) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2006. That year, the Red Storm finished the year with a 22-8 overall record. The Red Storm posted two, 20-win seasons during Nicholas' tenure. Last season, the Red Storm finished the year with an 18-15 overall record (7-9 BIG EAST) and earned two victories in the WNIT, defeating Iona (65-59) and Boston College (65-56) before falling to NC State (63-61).

Nicholas was the Red Storm's top recruiter during his time at St. John's. He was responsible for signing the likes of Monique McLean and Sky Lindsay, along with other key members of the Red Storm program. McLean earned BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades in 2007 and led St. John's in scoring a year ago with an average of 14.7 points per game. She also added 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists per game. Lindsay was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2008 after tallying 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Nicholas also signed two exceptional players for St. John's who will begin their careers with the Red Storm in 2008-09. Da'Shena Stevens, a 6'-1" forward out of Trinity Catholic is rated one of the top-50 players in the country. Britney Murphy is a Class A First-Team All-State selection, Most Valuable Player of the Saginaw Valley League (Mich.) and is rated a top-100 player in the country. As a senior she averaged 16.7 points, 6.5 assist, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game for Arthur Hill High

Prior to his arrival at St. John's, Nicholas spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham with the women's program, where he was responsible for guard development, recruiting and video coordination. Nicholas was responsible for signing former UAB stand-out Carmen Guzman `07. Guzman was a four-year starter for the Blazers and went on to earn Conference USA Player of the Year honors and was a finalist for the KODAK/WBCA All-America team. Nicholas also recruited Crystal McFadden, who recently finished her career at UAB. She was an All-Conference USA selection, and averaged 13.4 points and 5.1 rebounds during the 2007-08 season.

Nicholas also served as Associate Head Coach at Southwestern Community College in San Diego, Calif. from 1988-99. While at SCC, he helped develop 10 Junior College All-Americans and 16 student-athletes who went on to play NCAA Division I basketball.

Nicholas also enjoyed a stellar playing career at UAB from 1980-82. As a junior, he helped his team advance to the Sweet 16. The following season, the Blazers posted a 25-6 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. He remains among the top-10 at UAB in free throw percentage. Prior to UAB, he played two seasons at Mesa Community College, where he set single season and single game scoring records.

He completed his bachelor's degree in physical education at Trinity University in 1997.

Shauna Green
Assistant Coach

Shauna Green returns to the sidelines for her third season on staff as an assistant coach for the Providence College women's basketball program in 2009-10. Green came to Providence after serving as head coach of the women's basketball program at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa for two seasons from 2005-2007. Prior to her stint as the head coach of the Duhawks, Green served as an assistant coach at Loras for three seasons (2002-05).

In her first year as head coach during the 2005-2006 season, Green turned around a team that got off to an 0-6 start and advanced them all the way to the Iowa Conference semifinal game. After the slow start, Loras rallied to win 12 of its last 21 games to finish fourth in the Iowa Conference with a 9-7 mark and a final record of 12-15.

In 2006-07, Green continued to make tremendous strides with the Loras program. The Duhawks finished tied for second place in the Iowa Conference with a 12-4 conference record and a 17-10 overall record. The Duhawks earned the second seed in the conference tournament and a first round bye. For the second straight season Loras hosted an Iowa Conference tournament game, and the Duhawks advanced to the Iowa Conference Championship game for only the second time in school history by defeating regionally ranked Simpson College. Loras' 17 victories in 2006-2007 marked the second most wins in school history, and included a school record eight-game win streak that extended into the conference championship game. Green also coached All-Region and First-Team All-Conference player Natalie Pucci.

As an assistant coach at Loras, the team set a school record by winning 22 games and qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in school history. That same year, the Duhawks won the program's first Iowa Conference title. A native of Clinton, Iowa, Green enjoyed a stellar playing career at the NCAA Division I level for Canisius College from 1998-2002. Green was a four-time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection and was a three-time Team MVP. Green is the Golden Griffin's all-time leading scorer, having finished her career with 2,012 points. She also ranks second all-time at Canisius in rebounding, with a total of 910 caroms. Green's collegiate success also extended into the classroom, as she earned conference and district all-academic honors. She is a 2002 graduate of Canisius with a degree in business marketing. Green went on to earn a master's degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Loras.

Green and her husband, Andy, who serves as a fifth-grade teacher in Foxboro, Mass., reside in Providence, R.I.

Morra Gill
Assistant Coach

Gill embarks on her second season with the Friars as an assistant coach after spending the 2007-08 season at Morehead State as the Operations Coordinator for women's basketball.

A native of Hopkins, Minn., Gill spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at West Virginia University-Tech. While at WVU-Tech, she helped land on NAIA All-American and four players who won various All-Conference honors. In the program's first season in the Mid-South Conference, Gill helped guide the team to the league title, and was instrumental in leading the team to a 24-9 overall record and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament.

Prior to her stint at WVU-Tech, Gill served as a graduate assistant at Henderson State, which is a power at the NCAA Division II level. While at Henderson, Gill was part of the 2004 team that won the Gulf South Conference Tournament and participated in the NCAA Division II South Regional. Gill also was part of the team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four.

Gill was a stand-out player at Dillard University, leading the Blue Devils to the NAIA National Tournament in 2001 and 2002. She earned her bachelor's degree from Dillard in 2002 and received a masters degree in sport administration from Henderson State in 2004. Gill also gained valuable business experience as a sales and marketing representative for a variety of NBA and WNBA teams.

Ryan Gensler
Graduate Assistant

Ryan Gensler enters his first season as a graduate assistant for the Providence College women's basketball team in 2009-10.

Prior to his arrival on Smith Hill, Gensler worked with the women's basketball program at Saint Joseph's University (Pa.). He served three seasons as a scout team member and two seasons as the program's head manager. He also has worked various basketball camps over the last three summers, including Duke, Lemoyne and Saint Joseph's.

While serving as the graduate assistant, he oversees the team managers/scout team, coordinating film exchange and editing, scheduling for visiting team practices and the Friars' practice schedule on the road. He also handles the scheduling for visiting team practices and the Friars' practice schedules on the road.

Gensler is a Fayetteville, N.Y. native and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy ('05), where he played alongside former Duke point guard Greg Paulus. He helped guide Christian Brothers Academy to the Section III Class AA Sectional title. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in education, guidance and counseling and will graduate from Providence in May 2011.

Former and current Providence basketball players and area high school and college coaches may serve as camp counselors.