Rhonda Rompola
 | |
| Sport(s) | Women's college basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
March 9, 1960 Sayreville, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | SMU |
| Playing career | |
| 1979–1980 | Old Dominion |
| 1981–1983 | 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 an 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.