Bri Fecteau Named Stevens Women's Basketball Head Coach
HOBOKEN, N.J. – Stevens Institute of Technology Director of Athletics Russell Rogers recently announced the hiring of Bri Fecteau as head women’s basketball coach. Fecteau, the fifth head coach in the program’s 24-year history, inherits a Ducks squad that has amassed a 65-23 record since joining the Empire 8 in the fall of 2007. The Westport, Maine native joins Stevens after a successful seven-year stint as an assistant coach at Harvard University.
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to be a part of this program and have had a positive experience from the moment I stepped on campus,” said Fecteau. “Stevens is filled with so many amazing people and I feel fortunate to have this opportunity. I got a chance to meet some of our student-athletes who are a motivated group both on and off the court. They are the type of student-athletes I like to surround myself with and I look forward to helping them achieve their goals and improve their lives. It was a great fit.”
Fecteau joined the Harvard coaching staff as a second assistant in 2003 before being promoted to first assistant in 2009. During her tenure with the Crimson, Harvard compiled a 120-77 overall mark with a 75-25 Ivy League record. She helped develop four All-Ivy performers, including a pair of first-team honorees, and the 2004-05 All-Ivy Player of the Year, Reka Cserney.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bri to the Stevens athletics family as our new head women’s basketball coach,” said Rogers. “As a candidate, she presented the perfect mix of experience, basketball knowledge, and engaging personality that will make her a perfect fit at our institution.”
At Harvard, Fecteau helped facilitate the day-to-day operations of the women’s basketball program and was responsible for film editing and exchange, scouting, and recruiting. As part of her on-court coaching responsibilities, Fecteau worked with all positions – with a special concentration on guard development.
During her seven seasons at Harvard, the Crimson captured three Ivy League titles (2005, 2007, 2008), earning an NCAA Tournament berth in 2007, while making two Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) appearances in 2009 and 2010. She also served as the head coach of the Crimson’s junior varsity program.
“The experience I gained from the past seven years at Harvard is invaluable,” Fecteau said. “I had the pleasure of working with and learning from Kathy Delaney-Smith who is an amazing person and an amazing coach and I feel like I’m prepared to deal with any type of situation that arises. Having learned from one of the best gives me the skills I need to succeed. Harvard was an amazing place and it’s great to be at another institution that strives for both academic and athletic excellence.”
A 2001 graduate of Bentley University, Fecteau enjoyed a decorated four-year career as a member of the Falcons’ women’s basketball team, earning countless honors, while helping lead Bentley to a 120-15 overall record, three Northeast-10 regular season titles, and three NCAA Elite Eight appearances.
One of only two players to serve as a team captain for three seasons, Fecteau – just the eighth junior to top the 1,000-point plateau – ranks in Bentley’s top-10 in seven statistical categories, finishing first in games played (135), third in assists (573), and tenth in points (1,307).
As a senior she led the Falcons to a 31-3 overall mark, earning Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/Kodak Division II honorable mention All-America accolades, Daktronics Division II All-Northeast Region honors, and NCAA Division II Northeast Regional All-Tournament team recognition.
“In college I was again fortunate enough to play for another amazing coach, Barbara Stevens, who is leader in the coaching community,” said Fecteau. “There was a great sense of pride in the program at both Harvard and Bentley. That’s something that I believe already exists here at Stevens and it’s a tradition that we want to continue.”
Since 2007, Fecteau has also served as the owner, director, and lecturer of the Net Results Basketball Camp. As a business partner and Director of Marketing for the New England based camp entering its 26th year, she helped coordinate all of its operational aspects, while serving as a lecturer on shooting fundamentals, defensive concepts, and life skills.
A 2009 inductee into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, Fecteau enjoyed a brief stint with the Katwijk Grasshoppers, a professional women’s basketball team in Holland. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing in 2001, she has also served as an Account Coordinator at Reebok International in Canton, Mass., an Assistant Project Manager for Univentio Group BV in Katwijk, Holland, and an Office Administrator for the Bentley athletic department.
Last season, the Ducks posted an 18-11 record en route to their second Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Championship game berth in three seasons. Fecteau will eventually look to guide Stevens to its second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Ducks earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth during the team’s 23-6, 2008-09 season.
“I believe that we have the ability to make another run at the Empire 8 Championship and the NCAA Tournament,” Fecteau said. “I’m fortunate in that we have a lot of talent (at Stevens) and our student-athletes are very self-motivated. I’m happy to be here and look forward to helping them get back to where they want to be – back to the NCAAs.”
What they are saying:
Kathy Delaney-Smith, Head Coach, Harvard University
“I think Stevens got a great one. There are a lot of similarities between the schools and their emphasis on both academics and athletics. Bri has been here for seven years and understands how to maintain that balance between both academics and athletics. We are going to miss her here at Harvard, but it’s her time (to step into a head coaching role). She was great on the court, has great knowledge of the game, and was great with our student-athletes.”
Barbara Stevens, Head Coach, Bentley University
“Bri has paid her dues to be a head coach with her experiences both at Harvard and with us at Bentley. I think she was always destined to be a coach. She was our team leader as the point guard and had a tremendous feel for the game even as a player. I wasn’t surprised when she first got into coaching and with her experience as an assistant at Harvard I believe she will do very well at Stevens.”