WHEELING, WV, May 23, 2011 — Wheeling Jesuit University Director of Athletics Danny Sancomb is pleased to announce Deborah Buff as the Lady Cardinals’ new head women’s basketball coach.
“The search committee reviewed several candidates for the position and felt Debbie was the best fit for the university’s mission of educating men and women for life, leadership, and service with and among others,” Sancomb stated. “She brings a wealth of knowledge to the women’s basketball program and has experienced success at all levels.”
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to lead Wheeling Jesuit University’s women’s basketball program,” Buff stated. “I want to thank President Beyer and Athletic Director Dan Sancomb for this opportunity. Wheeling Jesuit has a perfect blend of strong leadership, values and a talented and eager group of student athletes that make it a perfect fit.”
Along with an extensive coaching career, Buff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Wheeling Jesuit Athletic Department. She graduated from State University of New York College at Cortland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a minor in Psychology and received a Master’s in Health Education from Russell Sage College.
In addition, Buff performed a variety of administrative duties, including an athletic director role at Class A-Bishop Maginn High School in Albany, N.Y. She also spent time in the classroom as a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) which directly translates to her teams’ academic success.
Buff spent two seasons (2008-09, 2009-10) with Endicott College where she compiled an overall record of 42-14 with back-to-back appearances in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament (ECAC). During the 2008-09 season, the Gulls made the Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament Final and finished with the most wins in school history at 23-6; Endicott finished 19-8 the following season.
Prior to her time at Endicott College, Buff served as head coach at RIT. She inherited a team which was 1-23, and in five seasons, guided the Lady Tigers to the Empire Eight Tournament and first-ever ECAC Tournament appearance. She earned Empire Eight Coach of the Year in 2006-2007 with a school-best record of 15-12.
Before her collegiate head coaching duties began, Buff served as first assistant for three years at NCAA Division II powerhouse, College at Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. During her time as the lead assistant and recruiting coordinator, the Golden Knights won three consecutive New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships and achieved a 34-1 overall record (1999-2000).
Saint Rose topped the East Region and was ranked 10th nationally. Their only loss of the 1999-00 season came in the NCAA’s Elite Eight to Northern Kentucky, who proceeded to win the National Championship.
She began her career at Bishop Maginn High School. In her 14-year career as a high school head coach (1985-2001), Buff recorded 203 wins with 57 losses. She captured five Big 10 Conference Championships, a Section II Title, a Regional Title, and a New York State Class A Title while being named 1996 New York State Coach of the Year. Coach Buff was inducted to the Maginn Hall of Fame in 2005.
One of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, Wheeling Jesuit is dedicated to helping students find their path in life, which translates into successful, rewarding post-graduate achievements. Since 1998, *U.S. News & World Report *has ranked Wheeling Jesuit among the top institutions in the “Best Regional Universities” category.
The University’s 19 men and women’s NCAA Division II athletic teams have won 59 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and boast 40-plus Academic All-Americans. Student athletes at Wheeling Jesuit carried a cumulative 3.1 GPA in 2010.
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