FARMVILLE, Va. – Following a season of firsts for the Longwood women's basketball team,
Ryenn Micaletti has been elevated to associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, head coach
Rebecca Tillett announced.
Micaletti joined the women's basketball staff in the fall of 2020 and dug right in, helping elevate and accelerate the program to new heights. In the 2020-21 season, the Lancers went 14-11 overall and 12-6 in Big South play, finishing third in the conference standings for the program's best finish in conference play since joining the Big South.
That finish paved the way to a first-round bye, also a program first at the Division I level, that led to a playoff win and a trip to the semifinals. In addition, the team earned an invitation to the 2021 Women's College Basketball Invitational, the program's first-ever Division I postseason bid.
"Longwood women's basketball is a special program and I am honored to be named associate head coach," said Micaletti, who enters her second year with the program. "I am so grateful to work alongside a tremendous staff. Coach Tillett's mission to inspire and empower women is more than a catch phrase. I am one of the many examples of being a woman who she has poured into and inspired.
"I am humbled by Coach Tillett's trust in me to help continue Longwood women's basketball's pursuit of excellence. Coaching the women of this program has been one of the best experiences in my career and I am beyond thankful for this opportunity."
The program had three players selected for all-conference recognition, with
Akila Smith and
Kyla McMakin both being named to the Big South First Team while
Tra'Dayja Smith was tabbed as an Honorable Mention. Adrianna Shipp also snagged a spot on the All-Freshman team.
While working with Longwood's interior players, Micaletti helped
Akila Smith to continue to grow and expand her game, as the long-armed junior becoming a game wrecker on both ends of the floor. Smith pulled off the defensive trifecta, setting the single game, season and career blocks records in the same year. In addition, she was named both the Big South and VaSID Defensive Player of the Year. Smith also averaging 15.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, adding nearly 10 points per game to her career scoring average while also nearly doubling her career rebounding average of 5.2 coming into the season. Smith even tallied the second triple double in the program's storied career with a 14-point, 13-rebound, 11-block performance against Winthrop on January 15.
Also, under Micaletti's tutelage, true freshman
Brooke Anya blossomed as an interior force, with Anya earning her first collegiate start in the team's regular season finale that saw them take down league-leading High Point. Anya averaged nearly five rebounds per game and started both Lancer playoff games.
"A promotion to associate head coach to me is always multi-faceted," Tillett said. "It includes a trusting relationship between the coach and the head coach, the vote of confidence from me that the coach is ready to lead her own program, and the development of meaningful relationships across the many departments that impact a program.
"Ryenn has established all of this. She is an upbeat leader who can quickly get to the heart of an issue while finding a positive outcome for all. As our recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator, she already leads daily. She has earned the expansion of her role every step of the way. We share a passion for empowering women wherever we go, and Longwood women's basketball is very fortunate to have Ryenn as one of our leaders."
This spring,
Micaletti was selected to participate in the TopConnect Leadership Institute this summer to continue to build and expand her already extensive coaching toolbox. She was one of 13 coaches selected to participate in the program.
Coming into the season, the Lancers brought back 89 percent of their minutes and 92 percent of their scoring while also incorporating a talented group of newcomers for the 2021-22 campaign.
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