Dacko to direct women’s hoop

New coach aims to fill Mullins Center

by Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

New women's basketball head coach Marnie Dacko

arnie Dacko has big plans.

     Hired April 11 as the head women's basketball coach, she's setting her sights on filling the Mullins Center with women's basketball fans.

     "I'm committed to getting the community involved, especially the local schools," she said. "My dream and my vision is to fill this Mullins Center. I think it is something that can be done here.

     "I think it's very important that these young women have an audience to play for and can show their abilities."

     Dacko comes to the University as its ninth basketball coach after seven years in the head coaching position at Cornell University, where she was the winningest coach in the school's history. Her team finished second in the Ivy League last season.

     Perhaps more impressive is that, during her Cornell tenure, she saw 100 percent of her players graduate.

     Also a veteran of coaching at Wisconsin, St. John's and Northwestern, Dacko's overall record as an assistant coach and head coach is 400-280.

     "We are thrilled to have Marnie take over our women's basketball program," said Athletic director Robert Marcum. "She has proven herself a winner at two successful programs in St. John's and Northwestern and has totally turned around a Cornell program that had never been anywhere but at the bottom of the Ivy League."

     "Her enthusiasm has no bounds," said associate Athletic director Elaine Sortino, who chaired the search for a new coach, "but, more importantly, her knowledge, love of the game and leadership abilities really stood out. Our program has tremendous potential, and I believe with Marnie's leadership and guidance, we can reach it."

     "I will tell you that you'll see a different UMass women's basketball team, what I like to run versus what was run here in the past," Dacko said. "I think you'll see a very different demeanor on the sideline; I'm pretty laid-back.

     "I want my kids to have fun, they have to have fun in order to work hard for me. They will dive on every loose ball, they will hustle, we will be in every game, I promise you that. We will not get out-hustled one bit. What you will find is an exciting brand of basketball."

     Dacko expressed satisfaction with the players she has inherited.

     "I just got here yesterday," she said at the Sports Luncheon April 17. "I worked with the team. It was refreshing to see that they have great hands and are very athletic."

     She expressed concerned, however, about getting a staff in place quickly and recruiting an incoming class.

     "I am aware that I have seven graduating seniors and no incoming freshmen," she said. "You know, you talk about frustration!"

     Dacko said she will lean on the team's seniors to help her and some visiting potential recruits find their way around campus this weekend.

     "I'm trying to get some coaches on board," she said, "but I understand the state system takes a little time."

     A member of three halls of fame - the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the Southern Connecticut State Hall of Fame and the Trumbull (Conn.) High School Hall of Fame - Dacko still ranks third on Southern Connecticut's all-time rebounding list, though she graduated in 1978. As a senior, she was a finalist for the Margaret Wade Trophy, awarded annually to the country's top woman basketball player.

     She also lettered in softball and volleyball in college and was the head coach of the softball team at St. John's while serving as an assistant coach to the basketball team.
She was an assistant coach for the Big 10 all-star women's basketball team when it toured Australia and New Zealand in 1993 and head coach of the North Shore women's open team at the 1988 Prairie State Games. She directed the Carol Blazejowski Basketball Camp in Montclaire, N.J., from 1982 to 1986. She also was co-director of four other Northeastern basketball camps.

     "I know this is a university rich in tradition for women's basketball as well as men's basketball, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this program," Dacko said.