Most Successful Coach in SJC Women’s Basketball History to Pilot Lady Monks

STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s College Athletic Director Brian Curtin announced today that Mike McDevitt has been named as the St. Joe’s Women’s Basketball Head Coach, filling the vacancy that was left by Deb Reardon last month.

For McDevitt, a 1983 St. Joe’s graduate, the post is quite familiar. The former Monks’ basketball standout served as the Lady Monks’ Head Coach for 16 seasons (1987-2003). During that time, McDevitt amassed 326 wins and a .736 winning percentage, both program highs, and led his teams to seven conference titles and seven appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. He collected conference coach of the year honors on five occasions and coached four players who garnered All-America honors.

McDevitt returns to Saint Joseph’s after serving on the women’s basketball staff at the University of Southern Maine for the last six seasons. He worked as an assistant under Gary Fifield for five years and worked as the interim head coach for the Huskies last season. As an assistant at USM, McDevitt helped guide the Huskies to a 144-14 (.923) record, five Little East titles, four “Sweet Sixteen” appearances and a pair of Final Four berths. In 2009, with McDevitt as the interim head coach, Southern Maine posted a 22-7 record, won the Little East Conference Championship, and made an NCAA DIII Tournament appearance.

As a student-athlete at St. Joe’s, McDevitt played in 103 games as a four-year starter for the Monks basketball team and scored 1,381 points (11th all-time at St. Joe’s) with 674 rebounds (8th). He was named All-Conference, All-State and All-District in both 1982 and 1983 and received Western Maine Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors following the 1983 season. No stranger to success on the hard court, McDevitt has been a part of 631 wins in 30 years as a player, assistant, and head coach.

“I’m very excited to return to Saint Joseph’s College,” says McDevitt. “I have so many great memories from my years there; St. Joe’s holds a special place in my heart.”

When McDevitt introduces himself to the Saint Joseph’s squad in the coming weeks, there will be a very familiar face in the group. His daughter Megan, an upcoming sophomore guard at St. Joe’s, averaged 5.3 points per game as a key reserve for the 13-13 Lady Monks in 2009.

McDevitt fills the vacancy left by Deb Reardon, who served as the head coach for the Lady Monks for five seasons with a 65-65 record. Reardon guided St. Joe’s to a pair of GNAC Tournament appearances.

“This is a great day for women’s basketball at Saint Joseph’s College,” adds Curtin. “Mike is a highly respected coach with a long history of success. He possesses a special passion for Saint Joseph’s and we know he will lead the program to great things.”

Coach McDevitt will be available to the media for comment in the Harold Alfond Center on the campus of Saint Joseph’s from 1:00-3:00 PM this afternoon.

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