Theresa Grentz

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Theresa Grentz (b. March 24, 1952), from Glenolden, Pennsylvania, is the former head coach of the women's basketball program at the University of Illinois and at 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 10th all time in women's NCAA basketball in wins, and only had two losing seasons in her 32 years of coaching basketball.

On April 17th 2007, Grentz announced her resignation from Illinois to pursue other career opportunities.

Grentz was an honor initiate into the University of Illinois Theta chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority. She herself was an alumna of Immaculata College, where her playing for the Mighty Macs led to three straight AIAW National Championships from 1972 to 1974.

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.[1]

[edit] University of Illinois

When Coach Grentz arrived after being hired at Illinois in 1995, the team was not a good program. She produced a Big Ten championship in 1997, two Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA championship and seemed to put the team back on track. The team achieved back-to-back 20-win seasons for the second time in Illini history. Grentz was honored as Big Ten Coach of the Year and WBCA District Coach of the Year in both 1997 and 1998. In 1997 the AP and USA Today polls ranked the Illini as #5 in the nation, a first for the program. Under her reign, 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.[2]