PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers women’s basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer is among 25 finalists for the Naismith Women’s College Basketball Coach-of-the-Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club has announced.

Stringer is one of four coaches from the BIG EAST Conference to be named a finalist for the award, joining Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, Boston College’s Cathy Inglese and Villanova’s Harry Perretta. This marks the fourth time Stringer has been named a finalist for the award in her eight seasons at Rutgers (1999, 2000 and 2001), and she won the award in 1993 after leading Iowa to that year’s NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Now in her eighth season at Rutgers, Stringer owns a 151-89 (.629) record “On the Banks” and has an overall record of 671-224 (.750) in her 31st season as a head coach.

The winners of the award will be honored in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center on April 11 as part of the Final Four festivities.

The No. 20/23 Scarlet Knights (18-5, 11-2 BIG EAST) will attempt to lock-up a first-round bye in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament with a win against visiting Virginia Tech Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

2002-03 NAISMITH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL
COACH-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD FINALISTS
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Melanie Balcomb, Vanderbilt
Gary Blair, Arkansas
Joan Bonvicini, Arizona
Kevin Borseth, Wisconsin - Green Bay
Pam Borton, Minnesota
Kurt Budke, LA Tech
Jody Conradt, Texas
Kristy Curry, Purdue
June Daugherty, Washington
Sharon Fanning, Mississippi State
Mark French, UC - Santa Barbara
Gail Goestenkors, Duke
Sue Gunter, LSU
Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina
Cathy Inglese, Boston College
Andy Landers, Georgia
Deb Patterson, Kansas State
Harry Perretta, Villanova
Rene Portland, Penn State
Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech
C. Vivian Stringer, Rutgers
Pat Summitt, Tennessee
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Susan Walvius, South Carolina