WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Gallo heading to D’Youville

Staff Reports
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

PENDLETON June 29, 2009 09:35 pm

— She’s leaving Starpoint, but she’s sticking with the Spartans.
After five years as Starpoint High School girls varity basketball coach, Marissa Gallo has accepted the women’s basketball head coaching position at D’Youville College, effective immediately
The announcement was made by D’Youville College Director of Athletics Brain Cavanaugh.
“We’re thrilled to have someone with proven coaching success, great leadership ability and Division I playing experience to lead the D’Youville College women’s basketball program into a new era,” Cavanaugh said.
D’Youville begins its first season as members of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in 2009-10. The Lady Spartans posted a 70-38 overall record the last four seasons, with one NCAA Tournament appearance competing under the North Eastern Athletic Conference banner.
Gallo previously served as the Starpoint Lady Spartans head coach for five seasons (2004-2009) and before that spent two seasons as the head coach at Lancaster High School (2002-04).
A recipient of undergraduate and graduate degrees from Canisius College, Gallo appeared in 40 games for the Golden Griffins from 1997-2000. In her senior season, Gallo was named a team captain and honored with team’s Unsung Hero Award, which goes to the student-athlete who doesn’t receive public recognition for her role and sacrifice to the program.
The new D’Youville coach inherits a women’s basketball program with nine returning letter winners from last season’s squad that compiled a 15-12 overall record.
This is the second coaching announcement in as many weeks at D’Youville College.Last week, Lew Potter was introduced as the new women’s soccer head coach. Potter is the current director of coaching and tournament operations at the Hamburg Soccer Club and a head coach with the Empire/Buffalo United Soccer Club.