Kelly Mazzante enters her fifth year as an assistant coach for the IUP women’s basketball team in 2018-19. She's been an integral part of a coaching staff that has seen the most successful stretch in program history. In the last four seasons, the Crimson Hawks are 100-25 (.800) with four 20-win seasons, four straight NCAA tournament selections (both program records), two PSAC West regular season titles, a PSAC tournament championship in 2017, and an Atlantic Region crown and Elite Eight appearance in 2018.
Mazzante helped the Crimson Hawks to the national semifinals of the Elite Eight for the first time in program history in 2018, as they finished with an overall record of 30-4. The 30 victories are a program record. 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, cruising to an NCAA Atlantic Region title with wins 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. IUP traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Elite Eight, defeating 11th-ranked and No. 4 seed Stonehill 75-71 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.
In 2017, Mazzante helped the Crimson Hawks win the program's first PSAC tournament title in eight years with an 84-79 win over California (Pa.) at Shippensburg. IUP won a PSAC West crown in 2015, Mazzante's first season, finishing 25-4 overall and 20-2 in the PSAC.
Mazzante came to IUP after a prolific basketball career at Penn State and in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
Mazzante graduated from Penn State in 2004 as the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer with 2,919 points, a two-time Associated Press first team All-American, and was the fourth player in Big Ten history to repeat as conference player of the year, earning the award as both a junior and senior.
During her senior campaign, she led the Nittany Lions to their second consecutive Big Ten championship and a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, with an eventual trip to the Elite Eight.
Mazzante's name is littered through both the Penn State and Big Ten record books, holding marks for points in a season (872 in 2001-02) and points in a game (49 vs. Minnesota in 2001), to go along with her career scoring record. She holds school career records for field goals made (1,051) and three-point field goals made (357), and her career point total is also more than any male in conference history.
She reached the 1,000 and 2,000-point plateaus faster than any other player in conference history, led the nation in scoring with 24.9 points per game as a sophomore and was the first player to ever earn a first team All-Big Ten selection four times. Mazzante was also a two-time finalist for the Wade Trophy, awarded annually to the top women's basketball player in Division I.
In 2004, she was the 18th overall selection in the WNBA Draft, taken by the Charlotte Sting, where she spent three seasons. Mazzante also played for three years with the Phoenix Mercury, where she was a part of WNBA championships in 2007 and 2009. She also played professionally for teams in Slovakia, Russia, Hungary and Italy before finishing her pro career with the Atlanta Dream in 2011.
A native of Williamsport, Pa., she attended Montoursville Area High School where she totaled 3,217 career points as a four-year starter. She led the Warriors to state championship appearances as both a junior and senior, winning the Eastern Pennsylvania regional titles both seasons.
Updated July 2, 2018
