basketball

Jeff Walz, Louisville women's basketball add two former head coaches

โ€ขYahoo Sports

Jeff Walz is adding two former head coaches to his Louisville women's basketball staff, including former Boston College coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee.

Louisville women's basketball is adding two former head coaches to its staff, the program announced Tuesday. Former Boston College head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee and former New Mexico head coach Mike Bradbury are set to replace assistant coaches Shay Robinson, who joined Florida's coaching staff , and Amanda Butler, who's now the head coach at College of Charleston . It will be a reunion of sorts for Bernabei-McNamee and UofL head coach Jeff Walz , who won a national championship together in 2006 as part of Maryland's coaching staff.

"Having shared that experience, Iโ€™ve seen firsthand the level of preparation, passion and basketball IQ she brings every single day," Walz said of Bernabei-McNamee in a statement. "Thereโ€™s a trust and familiarity there that you canโ€™t manufacture, and I know sheโ€™ll make an immediate impact on our program. Joanna has proven herself as a leader and a teacher of the game, and she brings a tremendous ability to connect with our players while continuing to push them to grow.

" Walz left Maryland a year after winning the national title for his first head coaching job at Louisville; Bernabei-McNamee joined West Virginia's coaching staff. Head coaching stints at Pikeville (2013-16) and Albany (2016-18) followed for Bernabei-McNamee before she took over the Boston College program. During her eight seasons with the Eagles, the West Virginia native led the program to 20 wins in 2019-20 โ€” including a program-record 11 ACC wins, earning her ACC Coach of the Year honors.

But a five-win 2025-26 season led to her firing on on March 1. Bradbury had been a head coach for 19 years and spent the last 10 years leading the New Mexico women's basketball program where he compiled a 202-112 overall record. That included six 20-win seasons and a program-record-tying 26 wins during the 2021-22 season.