Soriero enters her ninth season on the W. Hoops sideline

It is no wonder that Julie Soriero and college basketball are a perfect match. For one thing, the number four holds a magical significance for both. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Soriero claimed that her interest in coaching probably began when she was four years old and all she wanted for her birthday was a whistle. In 1986, Soriero led the Philadelphia College of Textile to the NCAA Division II version of the promised land, the Final Four. Entering her ninth season with the Quakers, Soriero probably has the best opportunity to make an impression in the Ivy League since the 1990-'91 team, which finished 15-11 overall and 10-4 in the conference. Soriero's players mature very quickly under her system, which rests on the principle of being not only a coach but a teacher, mentor and friend to her players. By playing all these roles to some extent in the lives of her players, Soriero has seen them respond quickly and face the challenges she gives them. "I was a three sport athlete at Penn State for all my four years there," Soriero said. "My basketball coach is still a friend of mine today, but neither she nor any of my other coaches really challenged me to reach and improve. I really try to get that message across to my players everyday in practice and in everything I do with them." Soriero began her collegiate coaching career in 1980 when she began the women's basketball program at Division III Haverford College. After two years at Haverford, Soriero moved on to the Philadelphia College of Textile, where she coached the team to an overall record of 122-73 during her seven year tenure. She led the Lady Rams to the Final Four in 1986 and once again to the Big Dance in 1989. But Soriero describes Penn as the ideal place for her because it has the best elements of both the other schools where she has coached. "I started coaching at Haverford, which is a small school and is very academically oriented," said Soriero. "At Philadelphia Textile it was a completely different atmosphere; there was much more competition and athletic scholarships. I think Penn has a great combination of both those things, and that's why we attract well rounded athletes." Soriero is a very focused individual with an infectious enthusiasm for the hardwood. In the very beginning, it was the freedom of the game that took her fancy, and her intense coaching style has won her many accolades, including the 1990-'91 Philadelphia Big-5 Coach of the Year and the American Woman Sports Foundation Northeast Region Coach of the Year. "I was attracted to the game because there is a great sense of freedom in it despite all the rules and restrictions," Soriero said. "There is a sense of beauty in a well-executed play." Soriero sees a very bright future for women's basketball at both the collegiate and professional levels because she thinks more and more fans are beginning to appreciate the game. "Women's basketball is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports events in this country. A lot of it is due to the success of the women's Olympic team and the WNBA." At heart, however, Soriero is much more than a basketball coach. She has great trust in her players and expects them to reciprocate that trust. She is not interested in awards or Ivy League titles as much as she wants to help shape the lives of athletes that come to Penn every year to play women's basketball. To Soriero, the number four holds the most significance because she has four years with every athlete she coaches to challenge and improve them as basketball players.