You know all the top coaches in the women’s game. Actually, you know them all by their first names.
Geno. Kim. Tara. Dawn. Brenda. And the list goes on. Every fan of the game would come up with those names quickly.
But most would struggle to come up with another. And it belongs. Maybe not in November 2021. But it will by March 2022.
The name is Carla. Yes, Princeton’s Carla Berube.
The former UConn standout can coach. She was 384-96 at Tufts, and the second-year head coach at Princeton is a gaudy 28-1 at the Ivy League powerhouse, with her team currently riding a 25-game winning streak, the longest in the country.
In 2019-20, her Tigers wrapped up the campaign with a No. 9 RPI, the best in Ivy history.
For her efforts, Berube was named Ivy League Coach of the Year. She lost her two stars in Bella Alarie and Carlie Littlefield heading into 2021-22. No problem.
The Tigers open up the season with a tough road tussle against a heralded Villanova squad. The result? A 59-42 win. The patented Berube defense was at work. After the game she commented, ”We are always going to rely on our defense.” And they did.
Princeton relied on defense again at Delaware on Friday, moving to 2-0 with a 76-56 road thrashing of a very good Delaware team behind a career night from Julia Cunningham, who had 26 points.
Not that she would even take it, but UConn athletic director David Benedict only needs one name in his rolodex when Geno Auriemma ultimately retires: Carla Berube. And the number should be on speed dial.
I think it’s a little early for the hagiography. Carla Berube proved herself at Tufts, but there isn’t a coach in the Ivies — maybe not even a high school coach in New Jersey — who wouldn’t have won with the lineup and the recruiting class she inherited at Princeton. She got the keys to a new Ferrari, all gassed up; plenty of Ivy coaches start with a 2001 Nissan with flat tires.
Let’s see what the next few years bring.