Tampa, Fla. Nov. 1, 2023 – University of South Florida head coach Jose Fernandez has been tabbed to the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year watch list presented by Her Hoop Stats, the organization announced Wednesday. This is the inaugural season of the award, named after the legendary former Harvard head coach.
Coach Fernandez who enters his 24th season at the helm of the program in 2023-24, received an extension through the 2028-29 season.
Heading into the upcoming season, USF was picked to finish first for the fourth straight year in this year’s rendition of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) preseason coaches poll, and senior guard Sammie Puisis was named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference First Team.
The Bulls will kick off the 2023-24 campaign with four of the first five matchups at home versus UT Arlington (Monday, Nov. 6), Stetson (Friday, Nov. 10), Grambling State (Monday, Nov. 13), and North Florida (Sunday, Nov. 19) before heading to Alabama (Thursday, Nov. 16).
USF will then head to the U.S. Virgin Islands to take part in its fourth Paradise Jam appearance. Playing in the Reef Tournament, USF will play High Point (Thursday, Nov. 23), Arizona State (Friday, Nov. 24), and Texas (Saturday, Nov. 25).
KATHY DELANEY-SMITH MID-MAJOR COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD
Delaney-Smith’s Harvard teams compiled a record of 630-434 (.592) in her 40-year career, including a 367-168 (.685) record in Ivy League play. Delaney-Smith’s 630 wins rank 29th in Division I history, and ninth among coaches who spent their entire career with a single team.
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached eight Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and all 21 of Harvard’s 1,000-point scorers in program history.
Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
A native of Newton, Mass., Delaney-Smith is also among the most accomplished high school players and coaches in the state’s history. She was the first woman in state history to score 1,000 points while at Sacred Heart High School. As a high school coach, Delaney-Smith coached Westwood High School to an overall record of 204-31 across 11 seasons, including a 96-game winning streak.
KATHY DELANEY-SMITHPRESEASON TOP-20 WATCH LIST
Chris Gobrecht, Air Force
Bart Brooks, Belmont
Chris Kielsmeier, Cleveland St.
Megan Griffith, Columbia
Brenda Mock Brown, ETSU
Karl Smesko, FGCU
Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Chelsea Banbury, High Point
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois St.
Tomekia Reed, Jackson St.
Rick Insell, Middle Tenn.
Jada Pierce, Niagara
Carla Berube, Princeton
Tammi Reiss, Rhode Island
Aaron Johnston, South Dakota St.
Tricia Cullop, Toledo
Tanya Warren, UNI
Lindy La Rocque, UNLV
Jose Fernandez, USF
Alisa Kresge, Vermont
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South Florida women’s basketball recorded its 11th 20-win season during the 2022-23 campaign. USF has made 18 postseason tournament appearances and had nine NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 23 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to 11 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, has won over 400 career games, and is the all-time wins leader in the American Athletic Conference.
In 2022-23, the Bulls had four players recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elena Tsineke (AAC Co-Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team), Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (AAC Co-Player of the Year, All-Conference First Team), Sammie Puisis (AAC Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference Second Team) and Carla Brito (AAC All-Freshman Team).
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