Rhonda Rompola
 | |
| Sport(s) | Women's college basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 9, 1960 Sayreville, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | SMU |
| Playing career | |
| 1979–1980 1981–1983 |
Old Dominion SMU |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1991–2016 | SMU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 439–317 (.581) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
As a player: AIAW Division I Tournament Championship (1979) AIAW Division I Tournament Championship (1980) As a head coach: WAC Regular Season Championship (1998, 1999) WAC Tournament Championship (1998, 1999) C-USA Tournament Championship (2008) | |
| Awards | |
| WAC Coach of the Year (1999) | |
Rhonda Rompola (born March 9, 1960)[1] was the head women's basketball coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU).[2] She coached the Mustangs basketball program from 1991 until 2016.
In her first season as coach, she posted a 17–12 record, the team's first winning season since 1981–82 when she was a player. Overall, she posted a 439–317 (.581) record at SMU.[2] In 1998, SMU won its first-ever WAC tournament title, as it defeated 4th-ranked Colorado State University in the final, and then 25th-ranked Toledo in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. In 1998 and 1999, Rompola guided the Mustangs to back-to-back 20-win seasons. She was named the 1999 WAC Coach of the year for her efforts. In 2007, SMU went 24–9, and finished second in Conference USA play with a 11–5 mark. Along with being SMU's all-time leader in coaching wins in any sport, she also earned an honorable mention on the all-time Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team.[3] She coached her 400th victory on February 21, 2013.[4]
Rompola grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, where she attended Sayreville War Memorial High School, leading the team to the 1978 Central Jersey sectional title and a 44–8 record during her playing career. In May 2005, Rompola was inducted into her high school's Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class.[5] She played collegiate basketball at Old Dominion University, where she was part of AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament championship teams in 1979 and 1980. She then transferred to SMU, earning a business degree while setting still-unbroken team records for season scoring (683 points, 21.3 average) and free-throw percentage (.863).[3] She married men's basketball coach Mike Dement in June 2007, the second marriage for both.[6]
References
- ↑ "NCAA Career Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- 1 2 "BREAKING: Rhonda Rompola Announces Retirement as Women's Basketball Coach at SMU - Women's Hoop Dirt". Women's Hoop Dirt. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- 1 2 Rhonda Rompola, SMU Mustangs. Accessed February 15, 2011.
- ↑ Nichols, Bill (February 22, 2013). "SMU women's basketball coach Rompola gets her 400th career win". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ↑ Becker, Arielle Levin. "GRADUATED IN BOROUGH Sayreville honors 5 in H.S. hall of fame", Home News Tribune, May 21, 2005. Accessed September 22, 2015. "Rhonda Rompola, a 1978 graduate, won two national basketball championships while attending Old Dominion University."
- ↑ O'Neil, Dana (January 17, 2008). "Dement, Rompola honeymoon includes lots of phone calls, airline miles". ESPN. Retrieved October 11, 2014.