Morgan hired at Haverford Haverford athletic director Wendy Smith has announced the hiring of Bobbi Morgan as women’s basketball coach. Morgan was head coach at Cabrini. “Bobbi’s experience and record of success made her an ideal choice for the position,” said Smith. “I have complete confidence that our program will see unprecedented success under her guidance and am very pleased that she will be joining our department.” “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at Haverford College,” said Morgan. “I have always believed Haverford had the potential to be highly competitive in women’s basketball. It is a nationally renowned institution, features state-of-the–art athletic facilities and I sense a true commitment to athletics from everyone I have met. I am looking forward to this challenge.” Morgan comes to Haverford was coach at Cabrini for four seasons, in which she notched 66 wins and averaged 16.5 wins per season. This past season, Morgan guided the Cavaliers to a 21-7 record, the team’s first Pennsylvania Athletic Conference title since 1999 and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Bobbi took over at Cabrini after a highly successful 17-year high school coaching career at The Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, Pa. (1986-1989) and Haverford High School (1990-2004), compiling an impressive 326-139 career mark. Morgan took Notre Dame to the District 1 Class AA title game in 1988-89 and crowned the season with the school’s first PIAA state playoff berth. At her next stop, Morgan turned Haverford High into a perennial District One powerhouse while winning six Central League titles and qualifying for the PIAA Class AAAA state playoffs seven times.
A Bryn Mawr native, Morgan is a 1981 graduate of Haverford High School. Her high school basketball coach was Julie Soriero, Haverford College’s first ever women’s basketball coach, who is now the athletic director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Morgan went on to played Richmond, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1985. “I’ve always respected Bobbi’s ability to analyze and appreciate the game,” said Soriero. “She has a wealth of experience and passion for competing.” Outside of coaching, Morgan spent 15 years as a journalist. She worked as a news and feature writer at the Main Line Times and Main Line Times Sunday. She then worked as a staff sports writer for the Delaware County Daily Times before taking over as the managing sports editor of the Main Line Times in 1990. During her years as a journalist, Morgan won six Keystone Press Association Awards for best writing in various categories including sports writing and sports column writing. She also won a Philadelphia Press Association Award for best writing on her series on College Recruiting: How To Play The Game To Win. |
 Furbush |
Furbush returns to Bates as coach Jonathan Furbush, assistant men’s basketball coach at Springfield and former assistant coach and player at Bates, has been named Bates' new men’s basketball coach.
Furbush, a 2005 Bates graduate and native of South Portland, Maine, becomes the school's 21st head men’s basketball coach. He replaces Joe Reilly, who stepped down in April to take the head coaching position at Wesleyan.
In announcing the appointment Tuesday, Bates athletic director Kevin McHugh praised Furbush’s "passionate commitment to the college and to the basketball program," adding that "Jon separated himself from an extremely strong candidate pool as the best fit to be the next men's basketball coach at Bates."
Furbush’s appointment, McHugh said, follows a "tradition of success that Bates basketball has experienced with the appointment of young head coaches." Since 1987, Bates basketball has been led by head coaches in their 20s three times. Furbush, 25, succeeds Reilly, who was 28 when appointed in 1997. Rick Boyages, who went on to become a Division I head coach, was 24 when he began his successful four-year run as head coach in 1987.
Furbush was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Springfield in 2007-08 while pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration. He held the same position for two seasons at Bates after graduating with a degree in American cultural studies.
"This is a great opportunity to get back in touch with my Maine roots," Furbush said. "Coming back to Bates is like a dream -- getting to coach at my favorite school."
As a player, Furbush started all 27 games as a senior, averaging 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.1% from three-point range.
The Bates men's basketball program has posted a winning record for eight consecutive years, the longest such streak in program history. Since 2003-04, the team has posted a 92-37 record (.713 winning percentage) and twice set records for wins in a season (19 in 2004-05 and 20 in 2005-06).
"What Joe Reilly has done is tremendous," Furbush said. "I want to build on the culture he created and add a few of my own contributions. I want to use basketball as an extension of the classroom, preparing our student-athletes for the next step in life. The players in my program will all be respectful and valuable members of the Bates community and will take pride in striving towards excellence on the court and in the classroom." |