Maria Marchesano
Photo by: Josh Gales
Feature Story: Maria Marchesano's Rebuild of Mastodon WBB
2/6/2024 11:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball
by Tom Davis
Two things that you must know about third-year Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball coach Maria Marchesano are:
The victory moved Purdue Fort Wayne into a tie for third place in the conference standings, along with its next foe, Wright State. A win over the Raiders on Saturday (4 p.m.) will give the Mastodons their 16th victory, which will be the second most wins in program history at the NCAA Division I level.
A victory will also match the program's nine league wins that the 2022-23 squad achieved, with six games remaining in the regular season.
"This is the fourth time that I have taken over a rebuild situation," Marchesano explained, "so, I have seen how the ebbs and flows go in the early years."
Success from Day One
Marchesano took over a floundering season in the winter of 2011 at NCAA Division II Urbana University in Ohio, one in which the Blue Knights had won just twice in eight games. In the first 19 games of her head coaching career, Marchesano led the program to 12 victories, and she hasn't stopped winning since.
"Everyone is optimistic when a new coach comes in," Marchesano said. "So, the difficulty doesn't lie in the optimism, it lies in the creating the habits because the work is the work."
In that first season, Marchesano guided her team to eight consecutive home wins and was awarded the 2012 NCAA Division II Independent Coach of the Year honor.
Undaunted, she took over the NCAA Division II program Walsh University in Ohio two years later, following its 8-18 campaign. In the Cavaliers' first game under Marchesano, they beat NCAA Division I foe Kent State on the road.
"When players see how much work it really takes to be successful," Marchesano said, "that is the biggest challenge. It is convincing them that it is worth it and that it is going to pay off because they have never put in that kind of work before."
A step up
Following consecutive 20-win seasons with Walsh in her second and third years with the program, Marchesano spent a season as the Associate Head Coach at IUPUI under current Butler University head coach Austin Parkinson. She was part of a staff that helped the Jaguars win 24 games, which was the most ever in program history.
That success opened an opportunity for Marchesano – albeit, at another reclamation project - as the head coach at NCAA Division I Mount St. Mary's in Maryland, and this time, success came, but it was more of a grind, as opposed to instantaneous.
She led the Mountaineers to a nine-win season, followed by a 15-win campaign, before breaking through with consecutive 20-win seasons, the last of which resulted in an NCAA Tournament bid from winning the Northeast Conference regular season and tournament (the prior year had been canceled due to COVID).
As one of the most successful coaches in the country in the spring of 2021, Marchesano had "multiple opportunities" to advance her career.
"In this business," Marchesano said, "when you have success, you are pretty sought after."
One of those opportunities happened to be in her hometown of Fort Wayne with the Mastodons, which was certainly appealing, but it wasn't going to seal the deal for her.
"At the end of the day," Marchesano said, "I thought (Purdue Fort Wayne) was the best opportunity to have success.
"It really wasn't about me, or being at home, or anything like that, because I had multiple opportunities."
The ultimate challenge
Marchesano's lack of fear, as she took over one of the most anemic programs in the country, was being tested, and it wasn't only because Purdue Fort Wayne had won just 22 games over a combined five seasons.
"I'm extremely prideful about Fort Wayne," the Elmhurst High School graduate said. "For me, one drawback was that I almost put more pressure on myself because this is my hometown."
Having had more experience than any coach prefers to in attacking rebuilding programs, Marchesano knew what traits to look for in the five returning Mastodon players (Shayla Sellers, Riley Ott, Amellia Bromenschenkel, Aubrey Stupp, and Valerie Clark).
"The one thing that I have seen with all of the rebuilds," Marchesano said, "a lot of times there is a lack of talent or low talent, but you see their work ethic and you're like 'Well, no wonder you're not having success.'
"That is something that I have seen over and over again."
That wasn't the case for that first squad under Marchesano in the 2021-22 season.
After winning just one game during the prior season, the Mastodons won nine games that season, with the returning players demonstrating significant improvement.
"These girls," Marchesano said, "they bought in right away."
Marchesano lauded Sellers and Bromenschenkel for their diligence in helping Purdue Fort Wayne gain traction.
"A couple of our core leaders have really led the way with getting in the gym all summer," Marchesano said. "They put in the time, and it shows that hard work does pay off."
Both players were recognized last spring by the Horizon League, as Bromenschenkel was named to the Third Team and Sellers was named to the Defensive Team.
"Those two are in the gym the most in the off-season," Marchesano said, "so, it is no coincidence that both of those players have improved tremendously."
Bromenschenkel didn't start a game in her first season in Fort Wayne and averaged less than 12 minutes per game. Fast-forward to today and Marchesano believes she is a "top three player in our league."
Marchesano said Sellers is a "leader in every sense of the word."
"The optimism is always there," Marchesano said of turning a program around. "There is excitement with a potential turnaround and new coaches, but changing the culture, and putting in the hard work, and the daily habits that it takes to be successful is the biggest challenge."
- She is undeterred by a challenge, no matter the size, and
- Undoubtedly, her teams are going to win games. Quickly.
The victory moved Purdue Fort Wayne into a tie for third place in the conference standings, along with its next foe, Wright State. A win over the Raiders on Saturday (4 p.m.) will give the Mastodons their 16th victory, which will be the second most wins in program history at the NCAA Division I level.
A victory will also match the program's nine league wins that the 2022-23 squad achieved, with six games remaining in the regular season.
"This is the fourth time that I have taken over a rebuild situation," Marchesano explained, "so, I have seen how the ebbs and flows go in the early years."
Success from Day One
Marchesano took over a floundering season in the winter of 2011 at NCAA Division II Urbana University in Ohio, one in which the Blue Knights had won just twice in eight games. In the first 19 games of her head coaching career, Marchesano led the program to 12 victories, and she hasn't stopped winning since.
"Everyone is optimistic when a new coach comes in," Marchesano said. "So, the difficulty doesn't lie in the optimism, it lies in the creating the habits because the work is the work."
In that first season, Marchesano guided her team to eight consecutive home wins and was awarded the 2012 NCAA Division II Independent Coach of the Year honor.
Undaunted, she took over the NCAA Division II program Walsh University in Ohio two years later, following its 8-18 campaign. In the Cavaliers' first game under Marchesano, they beat NCAA Division I foe Kent State on the road.
"When players see how much work it really takes to be successful," Marchesano said, "that is the biggest challenge. It is convincing them that it is worth it and that it is going to pay off because they have never put in that kind of work before."
A step up
Following consecutive 20-win seasons with Walsh in her second and third years with the program, Marchesano spent a season as the Associate Head Coach at IUPUI under current Butler University head coach Austin Parkinson. She was part of a staff that helped the Jaguars win 24 games, which was the most ever in program history.
That success opened an opportunity for Marchesano – albeit, at another reclamation project - as the head coach at NCAA Division I Mount St. Mary's in Maryland, and this time, success came, but it was more of a grind, as opposed to instantaneous.
She led the Mountaineers to a nine-win season, followed by a 15-win campaign, before breaking through with consecutive 20-win seasons, the last of which resulted in an NCAA Tournament bid from winning the Northeast Conference regular season and tournament (the prior year had been canceled due to COVID).
As one of the most successful coaches in the country in the spring of 2021, Marchesano had "multiple opportunities" to advance her career.
"In this business," Marchesano said, "when you have success, you are pretty sought after."
One of those opportunities happened to be in her hometown of Fort Wayne with the Mastodons, which was certainly appealing, but it wasn't going to seal the deal for her.
"At the end of the day," Marchesano said, "I thought (Purdue Fort Wayne) was the best opportunity to have success.
"It really wasn't about me, or being at home, or anything like that, because I had multiple opportunities."
The ultimate challenge
Marchesano's lack of fear, as she took over one of the most anemic programs in the country, was being tested, and it wasn't only because Purdue Fort Wayne had won just 22 games over a combined five seasons.
"I'm extremely prideful about Fort Wayne," the Elmhurst High School graduate said. "For me, one drawback was that I almost put more pressure on myself because this is my hometown."
Having had more experience than any coach prefers to in attacking rebuilding programs, Marchesano knew what traits to look for in the five returning Mastodon players (Shayla Sellers, Riley Ott, Amellia Bromenschenkel, Aubrey Stupp, and Valerie Clark).
"The one thing that I have seen with all of the rebuilds," Marchesano said, "a lot of times there is a lack of talent or low talent, but you see their work ethic and you're like 'Well, no wonder you're not having success.'
"That is something that I have seen over and over again."
That wasn't the case for that first squad under Marchesano in the 2021-22 season.
After winning just one game during the prior season, the Mastodons won nine games that season, with the returning players demonstrating significant improvement.
"These girls," Marchesano said, "they bought in right away."
Marchesano lauded Sellers and Bromenschenkel for their diligence in helping Purdue Fort Wayne gain traction.
"A couple of our core leaders have really led the way with getting in the gym all summer," Marchesano said. "They put in the time, and it shows that hard work does pay off."
Both players were recognized last spring by the Horizon League, as Bromenschenkel was named to the Third Team and Sellers was named to the Defensive Team.
"Those two are in the gym the most in the off-season," Marchesano said, "so, it is no coincidence that both of those players have improved tremendously."
Bromenschenkel didn't start a game in her first season in Fort Wayne and averaged less than 12 minutes per game. Fast-forward to today and Marchesano believes she is a "top three player in our league."
Marchesano said Sellers is a "leader in every sense of the word."
"The optimism is always there," Marchesano said of turning a program around. "There is excitement with a potential turnaround and new coaches, but changing the culture, and putting in the hard work, and the daily habits that it takes to be successful is the biggest challenge."
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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