Title run leads to honor for Cal’s Strom
California University women’s basketball coach, Jess Strom, was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year. Strom guided the Vulcans to a 32-4 record, and their 11-game win streak to end the season culminated with a victory in the national championship game.
Jim McNutt/Observer-Reporter CAL U women's basketball coach, Jess Strom, places the NCAA National Championship Division II trophy on the table before opening ceremonies at the Convention Center.
After guiding her team to the NCAA Division II women’s basketball championship last weekend, California University’s Jess Strom was honored Friday as the 2015 Schelde Sports/Women’s Division II Bulletin Coach of the Year.
Strom joins former California coach Darcie Vincent as the only coaches from the PSAC to win the award, which was created in 1994. Vincent won the award in 2004 after Cal won the national title.
“I hadn’t heard about it until people started texting me,” Strom said from Tampa, Fla., where she was attending the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four. “Obviously, it’s an awesome feeling for me. I feel really good about it, but more importantly, it’s a big deal for the kids. That goes a long way toward showing how hard they worked because without their hard work, I wouldn’t have won this.”
The Vulcans finished the season with a 32-4 record, beating California Baptist, 86-69, in the national championship game. The Vulcans closed the season by winning 18 of their final 19 games, including their final 11 games.
In four years at California, Strom has an 86-29 record (.748 win percentage), including a 57-21 mark record in PSAC play. Strom joined California as an assistant coach under Vincent in 2006 after a successful career as a player at Penn State.
Strom also guided the program through the difficult circumstances surrounding the death of forward Shanice Clark in January. Clark died in her sleep at a school dorm because of a blood cell disorder.
The Vulcans lost their next game, at Gannon, but would lose just once more over the remainder of the season as they rallied together around the tragedy.
“That’s a difficult situation in life, let alone dealing with that as a player or student,” Strom said. “There’s no handbook on how to handle that situation. I just had to be there for whatever they needed, whether it was a shoulder to cry on or whatever. But the kids dealt with the loss, and it’s really a testament to them that they were able to keep things together.”