Clarisse Garcia will begin her second season in 2011-12 leading the Sailfish women's basketball team after taking over as one of the youngest head coaches in the nation last season.
Garcia is a former team captain as a player at Villanova University and most recently the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Stetson University.
The 2010-11 season saw the Sailfish experience some growing pains through the mid-part of the season before closing out the year in impressive fashion. Garcia's small roster turned in a big performance at the Independent Invitational Classic Tournament in Washington D.C. as the Fish were crowned tournament champions to close out their efforts on the season.
Their three-game tournament run in Washington D.C. coupled with a strong showing near the end of the season saw the team win their final five games on the season as Garcia and her staff hit the ground hard in recruiting. The 2010-11 season also saw the team collect NCAA regional victories over the likes of Lynn University and Barry University while also earning a first-ever victory over cross-town rival Northwood University.
A graduate of Villanova University where she played for the Lady Wildcats basketball team and Harry Perretta from 2003-2007, Garcia was a Dean’s List recipient before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Garcia would go on to earn her Master’s in Business Administration from Seton Hill University in 2009.
An accomplished and dedicated recruiter, Garcia was honored as the 2009 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Graduate Assistant of the Year for her work with the Seton Hill women’s basketball program.
A native of Hopewell, Pennsylvania, Garcia spent the 2009-2010 season as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Lynn Bria and the Stetson women’s hoops program. Prior to her work in Deland with the Lady Hatters, Garcia earned valuable experience at the Division II level working under head coach Ferne Labati as the graduate assistant for two seasons at Seton Hill University in her home state of Pennsylvania.
During her time with SHU, Garcia helped mentor and develop student-athletes both on and off the court as evidenced by SHU ranking third in the nation for team grade-point average during her time with the program.
Academic success should come as no surprise from a team that Garcia has been involved as she herself was an academic standout student-athlete. While at Villanova, Garcia was a three-time Big-East All-Academic team selection while being named to the Villanova and National Dean’s List three-times as well. A former walk-on to the NCAA Division I women’s basketball team, Garcia was honored with the Villanova Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Award after her senior season in 2007.
Beyond her work as an assistant coach at both Stetson and Seton Hill, Garcia has also worked as a head camp counselor at the University of Pittsburgh camps under Coach Agnus Berenato.
