W. Hoops coach Julie Soriero to resign

Soriero said she quit because she "just didn't like the coach (she) was becoming." After 10 years leading the Penn women's basketball team, head coach Julie Soriero announced yesterday that she will step down at the end of the 1998-99 season. In her decade at Penn she has amassed 88 wins against 159 losses, including a 3-10 mark so far this season. Soriero's career record, including previous coaching jobs, stands at 213-247. "There is a combination of reasons," Soriero said. "The one that is most obvious is that I was very frustrated with losing, and winning was becoming all-encompassing. "I found myself coaching more and more with a frustrated tone in my voice and angry that we were missing the shots we were missing and not playing the defense we used to play. I just didn't like the coach I was becoming." The resignation comes amidst a disappointing 1998-99 season for the women's basketball team. After outperforming preseason expectations in 1997-98 to finish 13-13, including 8-6 in the Ivy League, hopes were high in '99. With last season's Big 5 Rookie of the Year Diana Caramanico, sophomore point guard Erin Ladley, the addition of transfer Mandy West and what is expected to be a strong 2003 recruiting class, Penn has become the early favorite to compete for the Ivy title in the upcoming years. Soriero's recent recruiting success made her sudden move a surprise to many, even in light of this year's struggles. "She told us at [the last] game, and I nearly fell out of my chair," Penn forward Caramanico said. "It wasn't a chair, we were sitting on bleachers -- but I nearly fell out of them. "Right after the game we felt like, 'Okay we're losing and you're quitting,' and we were mad and hurt. But now, she explained the reasons for her decisions, and I'm not mad at all, I'm just disappointed that she is going because she is the only college coach I have known." Last season was one of Soriero's best as coach of the Quakers as Penn earned its best win total since the 1990-91 season. In addition to a strong Ivy showing, Soriero also reached a personal milestone with her 200th career victory. For the win, the team defeated St. Francis, 56-45. Even in light of her success, Soriero found her job in question at the end of the season. The former Penn State star signed a one-year contract extension to stay at Penn. "Worrying about [my contract] gets very frustrating," Soriero said. "I went through the same thing last year, worrying that every free throw could be life or death. "That was a piece of it, but it wasn't a huge piece of [my decision]." Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky acknowledged the desire for a turnaround in the women's basketball program but says that Soriero has been a model for the Penn community. "I think Julie has felt pressure for 10 years," Steve Bilsky said. "And I think she has been very open and honest about it. Because we believe in Julie and we like her, we root for her and give her the benefit of the doubt. "But I think the pressure was more internal, as far as her desire to win. And I think that's what she was feeling in the end." After nine years without a winning record, 1998-99 loomed as Soriero's best chance yet. With the addition of West, a shooting guard from Boston College, the Quakers were poised to challenge league favorites Princeton and Harvard. But at 3-10, the season has been a disappointment. However, the team features a wealth of young talent. Coupled with Soriero's stellar incoming recruiting class of 2003, the Quakers seem on the verge of a breakthrough. "Penn has the table set for a real run at the league in the next couple years," Yale women's basketball coach Cecilia DeMarco said. "So I think leaving now is a surprise." But the Quakers began this season with five losses in their first six games. Two of the team's 10 losses to date have come to Ivy League opponents Brown and Princeton. Though the disparity between last year's .500 season and this year's record may appear large, the Quakers have actually made relative improvements. Coming up short in close games and a tough non-conference schedule have swollen Penn's loss column this season. The Quakers' improvements can be seen in the team's close games with La Salle and Temple, which blew out Penn last year. As the season became tainted by difficult losses, Soriero felt her philosophy as a coach slipping. She became increasingly more concerned about alienating a group of athletes with whom she has forged close friendships. "My first responsibility is to be an educator," Soriero said. "I felt that slipping away as winning was starting to became more important to me." The decision comes well before the most crucial portion of the season, with 11 Ivy League games yet to be played. At 1-2, the conference season is far from over. "I know that Julie is a competitor, and that we still have a chance to finish in the top of the Ivy League," Penn senior co-captain Sue Van Stone said. "And she'll do everything in her power to put us there." Soriero's hope is that she will return to her old ways in the remainder of the season. While trying to make the game more fun, she still will keep a focus on making a run at the Ivy title. "It seemed like there was a sense of relief," Caramanico said. "We aren't relieved that she is going. But we are relieved that it isn't such a tight, tense atmosphere anymore? because everyone feels stressed and pressured in tight games, when we know those games might mean her job. "I feel really bad that we lost these stupid games that we should have won -- and it's her job." Soriero came to Penn after a seven-year stint as the coach of Philadelphia College of Textile, a Division II school. At Textile she compiled a 122-37 record and guided her team to a Division II Final Four in 1986. The Lady Rams then returned to the round of 64 in 1989 under Soriero. Soriero's coaching career began in 1980 when she was chosen to begin the varsity women's basketball program at Haverford College. The Solebury, Pa., native began the program just six years after finishing her distinguished playing career at Penn State. While in State College, Soriero was a starter for the field hockey, lacrosse and basketball teams. Soriero is unsure of her plans for the future. But those that know her insist she will be found patrolling the sidelines again. "Penn is losing a good person. I hope Julie takes her experiences and really runs with it in another program," DeMarco said. "She'll be successful in the next place she chooses to go." Penn has no immediate plans to find a replacement since Soriero will finish the season. Most likely, the early notice will give Penn a chance to find a strong replacement. However, Soriero has plans for her future at Penn. "I want to be able to walk into the Palestra next season, to cheer them in a game and know that they are glad to see me," Soriero said. "So I had to make this decision."

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