Following the departure in April of head coach Chris Gobrecht, the Yale women’s basketball team announced on May 21 that former assistant coach Allison Guth will be the 10th coach in school history.
Guth, who spent two seasons in New Haven as an assistant from 2010 to 2012, coached five different All-Ivy players during her time at Yale. In 2011–12, she helped guide the Bulldogs to a 16–12 record, including an 8–6 mark in Ivy League play, en route to second place in the Ancient Eight — the Elis’ best standing since the 1988–89 season.
“I believe that Yale is a representation of everything that is good and right in college athletics,” Guth said. “I’m most excited about … getting a chance to work with these amazing young women and student-athletes.”
After leaving Yale in 2012, Guth served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. The first class that Guth put together for the Wildcats was highly regarded by recruiting services, with ESPN ranking it the No. 2 class in the conference and the No. 17 group in the nation.
Northwestern also found success on the court. The Wildcats finished 23–9, with a 12–6 record in the Big Ten, and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. One of Guth’s first recruits, forward Nia Coffey, served as Northwestern’s leading scorer and rebounder in each of her first two years on campus, and she was also named to the First Team All-Big Ten in each campaign.
“The team is looking forward to bringing in Coach Guth as our head coach,” guard Nyasha Sarju ’16 said. “Her vision and enthusiasm are second only to her relational abilities and incredible integrity. These qualities will stand the test of adversity and will foster a great new era of Yale women’s basketball.”
Captain Whitney Wyckoff ’16 agreed, saying that she has confidence in Guth’s basketball knowledge as well as her ability to take the team to the next level.
During her time at Yale, Guth recruited and coached former captain and all-Ivy guard Sarah Halejian ’15, who finished her Yale career ranked 10th in scoring in program history.
Sarju, who was recruited to Yale by Guth as well, said Guth was the single most important person in solidifying her interest and desire to come to Yale.
“I recruited [the current seniors] knowing the talent that they brought from a basketball perspective, knowing that they were going to thrive in the environment that Yale offered,” Guth said. “Leaving was definitely a bittersweet situation … I think it’s going to be an incredible opportunity coaching them.”
Guth added that she has not made any decisions regarding assistant coaches yet, and on-campus interviews taking place next week will help her solidify her staff.
The University of Illinois graduate spent six seasons coaching at Loyola-Chicago, Missouri and DePaul. She inherits a team that went 13–15 last season and tied for third place in the Ivy League with a 7–7 conference mark.