Greenberg hired as new W. Hoops coach

Replacing Julie Soriero, Kelly Greenberg hopes to take the Penn women's basketball team to its first Ivy League title. Holy Ghost Preparatory School '97 Bensalem, Pa. Enter Kelly Greenberg. Greenberg was recently hired to replace Julie Soriero, who announced her resignation this past season after 10 years at the helm of the women's basketball program. When Greenberg was introduced as Penn's sixth head coach on April 30, she proclaimed that her goal is not only to win the Ivy title next year, but to win it for many years to come. Her players are right behind their coach's confident statement. "Our goal every year is to win the Ivy League," said forward Diana Caramanico, who was named the Ivy League and the Big Five Player of the Year this past season. "It's great to know that's one of her goals, too." Caramanico cited Greenberg's enthusiasm as the feature that impressed her the most. In fact, Greenberg's confidence and energy are what made her stand out from the other candidates for the position. "She was the first one we interviewed," said guard Claire Cavanaugh, who was a member of the committee to search for a new coach. "We knew that we really liked her, but as we interviewed the next candidates we realized how much we really did like her." For the past seven seasons, Greenberg has been on the staff at Holy Cross. She was an assistant coach from 1992 through 1996, when she was promoted to associate head coach. Despite having spent the past seven seasons in Worcester, Mass., Greenberg is certainly no stranger to Philadelphia basketball. A graduate of Archbishop Wood High School, Greenberg was a star for La Salle in the late 1980s. Earning second-team All-Big Five honors in both the 1987-88 and '88-89 seasons, she helped the Explorers win three Big Five championships and earn three NCAA Tournament berths. Coaching in the Palestra will be the realization of a dream for the Philly native. "Being from the Philadelphia area, growing up here, I understand the Palestra," Greenberg said. "The biggest Christmas gift from my brothers was a ticket to the Palestra -- even when we were little kids -- so I really have a feel for that." While Greenberg acknowledges that she is a bit overwhelmed at being a head coach for the first time, she remains focused on taking the Quakers to the first Ivy title in the program's history. Eleven members return from last year's third-place squad, including first team All-Ivy honorees Caramanico and guard Mandy West. "I think we definitely have the potential and the ability to win the Ivy League next year, so hopefully everything will go well," West said. Greenberg has already begun the preparations for next season's campaign. After her hiring, she spent a weekend working with members of the team in one-on-one sessions. West, who was in Boston that weekend, was the only Quaker who did not meet with Greenberg individually. During those sessions, Greenberg directed each player as to what she needs to work on during the offseason. "Everything she did had a purpose -- every drill, every way she wanted us to cut," Caramanico said. "Basically, she tried to get a feel for me as a player before she puts any restriction on what I could do or couldn't do. She was really open to learning about us and letting us learn about her." Greenberg has established an offseason sprinting program that will complement the lifting program set in place by Penn strength coach Rob Wagner. In addition to these workouts, most Quakers will also play in a summer league. According to Cavanaugh, Greenberg's sprinting program represents "a 180-degree turn" from the distance running program Soriero used. The summer conditioning, however, should sufficiently prepare the Quakers for the various pressing defenses Greenberg plans to implement. Penn hopes to overwhelm the rest of the Ancient Eight with its presses and Greenberg also has a good idea of what to expect from Ivy foes. By spending most of this decade in New England, Greenberg has followed the Dartmouth and Harvard programs; Princeton coach Liz Feeley is also a former Holy Cross assistant. Greenberg, therefore, should be quite comfortable coaching against three of the league's best teams. Greenberg noted that as soon as Soriero announced her resignation in January, "a light clicked off in my head." She knew Penn was the perfect place for her to coach. And now that she has attained that position, she is faced with the task of taking the Quakers to new heights -- the top of the Ivy League.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.