Jeanine Radice, a former standout player
at Fordham and an assistant coach at Seton Hall for four seasons, begins
her 13th season as Tina Martin's top assistant on the University of Delaware
women's basketball staff in 2008-09.
Radice, who was promoted to associate head
coach in April, 2000, has played a key role in Delaware's rise to the
top of the America East conference and now to the upper echelon of the
Colonial Athletic Association. During her 12 seasons as Martin's top assistant, she has led the Blue Hens to 223 wins, a .623 winning percentage, two NCAA Tournament berths, four Women's National Invitation Tournament appearances, and three conference titles. The Blue Hens have advanced to their league tournament semifinals eight times in 12 years.
Radice helped the Blue Hens turnaround from
a 6-21 mark in 1997-98 to a 21-8 record and a trip to the America East
semifinals in 1999-2000.
It all came together during the 2000-01 season
for the Blue Hens as Delaware enjoyed its finest season in school history.
Delaware put together a record of 26-5, setting school records for wins
in a season and consecutive victories (17) and cruising to the America
East regular season title with a 17-1 record. The Hens moved through the
America East Tournament, defeating Boston University and Harford in the
first two rounds and rallying to down host Vermont in the championship
game.
That victory gave Delaware its first ever
America East title and the team's first conference championship since
1991 and its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Blue Hens advanced
to the NCAA East Regionals at North Carolina State and hung tough with
the 19th ranked Wolfpack before falling 76-57. The Hens also received
their first ever votes in the USA Today Top 25 poll during the season.
Delaware made it two straight post-season
appearances in 2001-02. As first year members of the Colonial Athletic
Association, Radice helped guide the Blue Hens to a 23-7 record, the second
highest season win total in school history.
Delaware placed second in the CAA regular
season standings behind nationally-ranked Old Dominion with a 15-3 mark
and advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals. Delaware earned its first
ever Women's National Invitational Tournament berth before falling to
Atlantic 10 regular season champion George Washington in the opening round,
78-71.
The remarkable string continued in 2002-03
as Radice helped lead an unheralded team to a 22-9 record and a 15-3 league
mark, tying Old Dominion for the regular season title. It marked the first
time since 1992-93 that the Lady Monarchs did not win the league regular
season title outright. The Hens moved through the CAA Tournament
before falling to host Old Dominion 66-58 in the championship game. Still,
the Hens qualified for the WNIT Tournament for the second straight year,
falling to host Saint Joseph's 65-47 in the opening round.
The 2004-05 team produced one of the finest
seasons in school history as Radice helped lead the squad to a 25-6 mark
and a 16-2 league mark. The Blue Hens claimed the CAA regular season title
and tied the school record for consecutive wins in a season with 17. The
Blue Hens ended Old Dominion's 122-game home CAA win streak with their
victory in Norfolk in January and then became the first CAA team since
the 1992-93 Richmond Spiders to sweep Old Dominion in the regular season
before a school record crowd at home.
The squad received votes in the
USA Today Top 25 Poll over the second half of the season. The Hens moved through the CAA Tournament
before falling to Old Dominion in the CAA Championship game in overtime,
78-74. The Hens did make it back to the post-season though as Delaware
hosted St. John's in the first round of the WNIT Tournament. Delaware
making its third WNIT appearance in the last four years fell to the Red
Storm by a score of 48-42.
The winning ways continued in 2005-06 as the Blue Hens posted a record of 22-8, placed third in the CAA regular season standings, and advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals before falling to James Madison in the final seconds. Delaware still earned its third post-season berth in four seasons, advancing to the Women's NIT for the third time before falling to Pittsburgh by a score of 64-57 in the opening round.
During the 2006-07 season, Delaware tied the school record with 26 wins and tied the school record for conference wins with 16. The Blue Hens also received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 media poll for the first time in school history. The Hens fell in the CAA semifinals to James Madison but garnered the school's first ever at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Hens fell to Michigan State on the Spartans home floor 69-58. Smith, who led the team in scoring and was 17th in the nation with 19.8 points per game, was named first team All-CAA and the league's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. Smith became the first Delaware player to be drafted into the WNBA when the Phoenix Mercury selected her with the 18th overall pick.
Radice, 38, who earned her bachelor's degree
(1989) and master's degrees (1990) from Fordham, served as an assistant
with Martin at Seton Hall for four years, leading the team to the NCAA
Tournament in 1994 and 1995. She previously served as an assistant coach
at Marist College.
Radice coordinates Delaware's recruiting efforts
and oversees Delaware's girl's basketball summer camp. She worked primarily
with the Blue Hen backcourt players. She was instrumental in the development
of two-time first team All-America East guard and the school's all-time
leading scorer, Cindy Johnson.
At Fordham, Radice was the Metro Atlantic
Athletic Association Most Valuable Player in 1989, was named Fordham's
Outstanding Female Athlete three times, was inducted into the Fordham
Hall of Fame in 1995. She was also a standout on the Fordham cross country
team.
A native of New York, Radice had a brilliant
playing career at Fordham where she is second on the all-time leading
scoring list with 2,417 career points. She holds the Fordham career records
for scoring average (21.8), 3-point field goal percentage (.481), and
free throw percentage (.851) A three-time first team sleection to the
All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team, Radice was chosen the MAAC
Rookie of the Year in 1985 and the Player of the Year in 1989.
An avid runner who has competed in numerous
marathons, she is single and resides in Newark.