Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

In eight seasons in Indiana, Tom McConnell has entrenched himself as the best coach in program history and one of the best leaders in Division II women's basketball. 

McConnell boasts an overall record of 176-41 (.811) with four PSAC Western Division regular season championships, two PSAC tournament titles  (2017, 2019) and led the Crimson Hawks to back-to-back Atlantic Region crowns and Elite Eight national semifinal berths.

A perennial threat in the PSAC and Atlantic Region, McConnell and IUP have six straight 20-win seasons and six consecutive NCAA tournament selections - both program records. 

He has turned the Crimson Hawks into one of the top threats in Division II with his recent three-year run. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, IUP's 88 wins are tied for third-most in the country while the Hawks have won back-to-back regional titles (2018, 2019) and appeared in two straight national semifinal games each of those seasons. IUPs chance for a third straight regional crown and possible Division II title were wiped out in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the NCAA tournament prior to its tipoff. 

IUP has been ranked in the top-25 for 50 straight releases dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season, including 39 weeks in the top-10 and 25 weeks in the top-3. On January 8, 2019, the Crimson Hawks rose to No. 1 in the WBCA Division II poll for the first time in the program's history. 

McConnell has been named the PSAC West Coach of the Year three straight times (2018, 2019, 2020), a conference record. 

McConnell became the program's all-time winningest coach during his sixth season with a 67-53 victory over Seton Hill on March 6, 2019. That win was his 142nd, passing Jan Kiger (1986-96) for the record. He became the quickest IUP head coach to 100 career wins, reaching the milestone with an 89-38 blowout victory over Mercyhurst Jan. 6, 2018. 

McConnell's career .811 overall win percentage and .823 conference win percentage are also the best marks by an IUP head coach. 

McConnell owns five of the top 10 seasons in IUP history according to win totals, including the program record 30 victories in 2017-18 and in 2018-19. He won 28 games in the 2019-20 season, 25 in 2014-15, and 24 in 2016-17. He also has the top four seasons by win percentage IUP history - .903 in 2019-20, .882 in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and .862 in 2014-15. 

McConnell has five of the six longest win streaks in program history, including a record 19 straight victories during the 2019-20 season. He also has 15-game win streaks during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. 

McConnell has also coached some of the finest players in program history, including IUP's Player of the Decade (2010s), Carolyn Appleby. Appleby was a 2019 All-American and three-time All-PSAC West pick who helped the Hawks to two PSAC tourney titles (2017, 2019) and both of its regional titles. Appleby is second all-time at IUP with 1723 points and fourth with 406 assists, is a two-time PSAC Tournament MVP and was the 2018 Atlantic Region Tournament MVP.

In addition to Appleby's exploits, McConnell's players have combined for two All-American selections and 17 All-PSAC West honors. Lindsay Stamp, another All-American, was PSAC West Athlete of the Year in 2015 and Lexi Griggs was PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year in 2020. 

McConnell has been a head coach at the collegiate level for 14 years, spending seven seasons on the bench for the Division I Saint Francis (Pa.) men's program from 1992-99. He won 85 games for the Red Flash, including a 17-10 record during the 1997-98 season. 

All told, McConnell has 261 collegiate victories, winning his 250th game with a 58-53 victory at Pitt-Johnstown on January 22, 2020. 
 

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McConnell's last three seasons are the best in IUP history. 

The Crimson Hawks looked to make another run at a national title and win a third straight regional crown in 2020. They took a 28-3 record and PSAC West regular season title into the NCAA tournament, earning the No. 1 seed and hosting responsibilities for the Atlantic Region Championship. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of sports the day before the tournament was set to tip-off. 

The No. 1 regional ranking for the NCAA tournament was the program's first in 12 seasons. 

The season was highlighted by a program-record 19-game win streak that saw the Crimson Hawks rise to No. 4 in the national rankings. It also led to their third straight PSAC West regular season title with a conference mark of 21-1, another program record. IUP advanced to the PSAC championship game for the fourth time in the last five seasons under McConnell, but dropped a heartbreaking 50-40 decision to Gannon at the Kovalchick Complex. 

McConnell was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year for a record third straight season. He also helped senior forward Lexi Griggs earn PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year honors. Griggs was joined by senior guard Natalie Myers and junior guard Justina Mascaro on the All-PSAC West first team, marking the first time since 1984 that IUP put three players on the conference's first team. 

The Crimson Hawks had one of the best defenses in Division II under McConnell, ranking in the top-10 in four different defensive categories for the 2019-20 season. IUP led the nation in defensive 3-point field goal percentage at 23.7 percent, and was ranked fourth with a 32.5 field goal percentage defense, eighth with 53.3 points allowed per game, and 10th with 5.3 blocks per game.
 

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IUP women's basketball followed up its wildly successful 2017-18 season with another historic year in 2018-19. The Crimson Hawks won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division regular season title, the PSAC tournament championship, and another Atlantic Region crown to advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.

McConnell guided the Crimson Hawks to back-to-back national semifinals berths of the Elite Eight in 2018 and 2019, with 2018 marking the first appearance in program history. The Crimson Hawks set the program record with 30 victories in 2018 and tied the record by going 30-4 for the 2019 season. 

The Crimson Hawks went 7-1 in the postseason in 2019, blowing through the conference tournament with three wins by an average of 19.0 points per game. IUP then won three tightly-contested games in the regional tournament, including victories over No. 9 Virginia Union and No. 22 Cal U, before defeating No. 24 Azusa Pacific in the national quarterfinals.

IUP also spent three weeks as the No. 1 ranked team in the WBCA poll, the best ranking in program history. The Crimson Hawks ended the year at No. 4 in the poll and spent 15 of the 18 national releases ranked inside the top five.
 
McConnell saw his team break single season program records for points (2,581), field goals made (997), field goal percentage (.480), defensive field goal percentage (.345), 3-point percentage (.380), defensive 3-point percentage (.268) and assists (605).

McConnell was named PSAC West Coach of the Year, with seniors Carolyn Appleby, Lauren Wolosik and Brittany Robinson each earning all-league honors. Appleby also earned All-Atlantic Region and All-American accolades.
 

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In 2018, IUP won the PSAC Western Division regular season title with a 20-2 league record - tying the program record for PSAC wins in a year - before falling in the semifinals of the conference tournament. 

The Crimson Hawks regrouped, earning the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Region and clinching a program record fourth straight NCAA tournament berth. They cruised to a regional title in Richmond, Va., defeating their opponents by an average of 20 points. Those wins came over rival and No. 6 seed California (90-65); fourth-ranked and No. 2 seed Glenville State (88-68); and upstart No. 8 seed Bowie State (75-60) in the final. 

Junior point guard Carolyn Appleby was named the Atlantic Region Tournament MVP, averaging 17.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Senior forward Megan Smith (19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds) also earned All-Tournament Team honors. 

The regional title was the second in the program's history (East, 1999) and it's first under the current structure. 

The Crimson Hawks traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the Sanford Pentagon to compete in the 2018 NCAA Division II Elite Eight, earning the No. 5 seed. They defeated 11th-ranked and No. 4 seed Stonehill 75-71 in the quarterfinals before falling to top-ranked and undefeated Ashland 92-68 in the semifinals. 

No other IUP women's basketball team had ever won a game at the NCAA Division II championship site. 

McConnell was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year, while Appleby and Smith landed on the first team All-PSAC West and redshirt junior Lauren Wolosik on the second team. Smith had one of the best seasons in program history, breaking IUP records for points scored (625) and 3-pointers made (89) and also earning All-Atlantic Region honors. Wolosik broke the IUP single season record with 175 assists. 

Other IUP records broken or tied were: Single season win percentage (.882); Longest home court win steak (21); Fewest losses in a  season (four); Points in a season (2,577); Field goals made in a season (962); Lowest FG% allowed (.348); Assists in a season (579); Points in a game (125 vs. Geneva). 
 

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Under McConnell, the Crimson Hawks captured the 2017 PSAC championship and finished the 2016-17 season 24-7, with an 18-4 conference record. They entered the PSAC tournament as the second seed in the West after losing the regular season finale to California (Pa.). Once the PSAC championships began, IUP defeated Mercyhurst and Shippensburg, before defeating top-seed California 84-79 in the championship game. This was McConnell’s first PSAC championship and the program’s first PSAC title since winning three straight from 2007-09.
 
Sophomore point guard Carolyn Appleby was named the PSAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after scoring a career-high 30 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists in the victory over defending champion California. During the three-game conference tournament, Appleby averaged 22.3 points and 6.0 assists, hitting 22-of-23 (.957) of her tries from the free throw line.
 
Following the PSAC championship, IUP earned the second seed in the Atlantic Region for the NCAA championships. The Crimson Hawks were also ranked No. 22 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll. They then defeated Johnson C. Smith in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which was McConnell’s first NCAA tournament victory, before falling to Virginia Union in the Atlantic region semifinal.
 
Appleby, junior Megan Smith, and redshirt sophomore Lauren Wolosik were named to the All-PSAC West second team.

Sophomore Kendall Hunter was named the PSAC Championship Scholar. The second straight year a member of the IUP women’s basketball team received this award.
 
Picked to finish fourth in the division by the league's coaches, IUP finished the 2015-16 year as the PSAC runners-up and earned the eighth seed in the Atlantic Region of the NCAA Championships, where it fell to Virginia Union in the first round. McConnell mentored redshirt senior guard Leslie Stapleton who earned first team All-PSAC West laurels as well as being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District™ team.

Stapleton broke PSAC career (88.5) and season (93.3) free throw percentage records, and set IUP's all-time record with 216 three-pointers made. In addition to the on-the-court accomplishments, senior Marina Wareham was named the PSAC Champion Scholar.

In the 2014-15 campaign, IUP was picked to finish fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West. However, after going 20-2 in conference play, IUP hoisted its first PSAC West banner since winning back-to-back in 2007 and 2008.
 
The 25 wins mark the fourth-most in school history and the four losses are the fewest for IUP, which finished the year ranked No. 23 in the final Division II Coaches' Top 25 poll of the season after having been ranked as high as No. 7.
 
After a season that included a trip to the PSAC semifinals, McConnell earned his first trip to the NCAA tournament. IUP received the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region, but was upset in the first round by Shepherd.
 
Overall at IUP, the Crimson Hawks’ offense has been a focus of McConnell’s. In his three years, scoring is up as the Crimson Hawks’ have increased their usage of the 3-point shot, attempting a blistering 552 shots from distance in 2015-16 while making 37.9 percent, compared to 36.2 percent the year before.
 
Marita Mathe, a four-year starter, shot a career-best from distance as a senior in 2014-15, knocking down a team-best 41.4 percent from distance, while fellow senior Lindsay Stamp, Stapleton and junior Marina Wareham each shot better than 35 percent on 3-pointers.
 
Many players flourished in McConnell’s up-tempo offense, including Mathe, Stamp and forward Ashley Stoner. For their play in the 2014-15 season, Stamp was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year, while Stoner was honored as a second-team performer.
 
In his two years coaching the Crimson Hawks, McConnell saw Stamp flourish in his up-tempo offense, increasing her per-game statistical averages across the board. In Stamp’s senior year under McConnell, she averaged 19.6 points, the third-best mark for a single season in Crimson Hawk history, and also led the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.
 
Stamp was also a Daktronics First-Team All-American, Atlantic Region Player of the Year and the IUP Women’s Athlete of the Year for 2014-15.
 

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Introduced on June 11, 2013, McConnell brought with him more than 25 years of coaching, game management and player development knowledge learned after spending time on the coaching staffs of six colleges, including most recently as an assistant on Division I Old Dominion women’s bench for two years during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
 
During those two years he helped the Lady Monarchs to a pair of postseason appearances, including a trip to the Women's NIT this past season, and a 30-33 overall record.

During his time at ODU, McConnell coached eight All-CAA selections, including 2012 Rookie of the Year Ashley Beltz-White, 2013 second team pick and All-Defensive selection Shae Kelley, and two-time All-Academic team honoree Mairi Buchan.

A 23-year veteran of the collegiate and high school coaching ranks, he joined ODU in 2011 after spending four years as an assistant at the University of Colorado. During his tenure at CU, the Buffs advanced to the 2008 WNIT Final Four, the school's first ever postseason semifinal. Colorado also garnered the school's first national ranking in four seasons, reaching No. 23 in the AP poll.

On the recruiting trail, McConnell has been able to not only leverage his knowledge of western Pennsylvania high school basketball to his advantage, but to recruit from all over the East coast. 
 

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McConnell spent seven seasons as the head men's basketball coach at St. Francis University (Pa.) from 1992-99, where he is tied for second on the school's all-time list for wins with 85. His most successful season came in 1997-98 when he directed the Red Flash to a 17-10 mark for their first winning campaign in seven years. His 1997-98 effort still stands today as the most wins in one season at St. Francis since 1991-92.

McConnell's head coaching appointment at St. Francis was his second tour of duty with the school, as he was an assistant coach in 1984-85. Between stints at St. Francis, McConnell spent one season as an assistant at Wake Forest University (1985-86), three years at Marquette University (1986-89) and three seasons at the University of Dayton (1989-92).

In his first season at Dayton, he helped the Flyers to a 22-10 record, the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The 12th seeded Flyers upset the fifth seed University of Illinois 88-86 in the first round and fell to eventual Final Four participant University of Arkansas in the second round, 86-84.

After leaving his position of head men's basketball coach at St. Francis following the 1998-99 season, McConnell became the Director of Youth and Campus Ministry for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. He returned to coaching in 2004, while keeping his position with the Diocese, serving two seasons as head boys' basketball coach at Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Altoona. In 2006, his final season, he guided the Marauders to an overall record of 19-10 and an 11-3 mark in Mountain Athletic Conference action.
 

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Prior to joining the collegiate ranks full time, he served as boy's head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg, Pa., and as a volunteer assistant men's coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 1982-83.

McConnell was the head coach for the Pittsburgh Women's AAU Basketball Team that won the 1984 national championship and featured his sister Suzie McConnell Serio, an All-American at Penn State, a two-time United States Olympian, former head coach of the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and head women's coach at the University of Pittsburgh.

He was the director of the Steal City Basketball Day Camp from 1981-87 and has served as the director of The Word and the Rock Basketball Camp since 1999 and Camp Zacchaeus since 2000.

McConnell earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Point Park College in 1984. He played two seasons at Davidson College (1980-82), serving as team co-captain as a senior, and two at Butler County (Pa.) Community College (1978-80) where he earned an associate's degree in 1980. He helped Butler to the 1979-80 Skyline Athletic Conference title and was coached there by Tom Beckett, currently the Athletic Director at Yale.

McConnell, the oldest of eight children, comes from a basketball family. Tom is one of six McConnell siblings who attended college on a basketball scholarship. In addition to Suzie, Tom's sister Kathy is the associate head coach at Pitt.

Born on Nov. 15, 1959, McConnell and his wife Lisa have six children: Tommy, Ashley, Sean, Luke and twins Christopher and Mary Grace. He also has three grandchildren. His daughter-in-law Jill was a standout basketball player at Canisius College.


McConnell's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record






















Updated July 2, 2020