Just shy of two years into her tenure, Adrienne Shibles as stepped down as Dartmouth women’s basketball coach.
Dartmouth Athletics announced Shibles’ departure Monday in a short statement.
“We are thankful to Adrienne for her contributions to Dartmouth Athletics and wish her all the best moving forward,” athletics and recreation director Mike Harrity said in the statement.
The Big Green struggled in Shibles’ two seasons at the helm, going 5-49 overall and 2-26 in Ivy League.
Dartmouth said a national search for Shibles’ successor would begin immediately.
Shibles took over in May 2021 after 13 seasons at Bowdoin, where the Polar Bears won over 80% of their games during her time at the helm, notching 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and amassing a 281-67 record.
Shibles was brought aboard by interim athletic director Peter Roby after a nearly 10-week search following the resignation of Belle Koclanes from the position. Koclanes had spent eight years as Dartmouth’s coach and stepped down to become the president of Strive: How You Lead Matters, a Wilmington, Del.-based nonprofit.
Dartmouth has won 17 Ivy League titles but none since 2009. The Big Green have yet to qualify for an Ivy League Tournament since it was instituted starting with the 2016-17 season.
I guess we were premature about coaching changes during the recent Inside Ivy Hoops podcast.
Shibles seemed like a great hire, based on her long-term success at Bowdoin and Carla Berube’s seamless transition from Tufts to Princeton.
Hiring Shibles in May 2021 certainly didn’t do her any favors in recruiting. Her staff lacked D-1 experience, but that wasn’t a problem for Berube. Of course, the programs at Princeton and Dartmouth are not equal and the Tigers have greater resources and a stronger national reputation.
It will be interesting to see where AD Harriet goes with the coaching choice.
Another person from the Banghart (former Big Green player) or Berube Princeton assistant coaching tree?
A respected but young alum with Ivy playing and assistant coaching experience (Lions asst. Cy Lippold)?
A legendary basketball player & respected assistant coach with ties to Dartmouth’s glory days (Yolanda Griffith)?
A respected long-term Ivy assistant/associate/recruiting coordinator from a program that has recently succeeded in the conference (Columbia’s Tyler Cordell)?
Another D-3 coach?
A non-Ivy assistant? Someone else?
Two years? Did she leave of her own volition? Was she fired? If the latter, why would any good coach want to follow her ?
Given her previous success, unless there is more behind the scenes, Dartmouth gave Shibles little time to show her worth. A coach needs at least 4 years to turn around a program as depleted as Dartmouth. I’m sure that Columbia didn’t drop their coach after a couple of tough turnaround seasons. Potential successor’s beware,