Micaletti hired as SRU women’s hoop coach
SLIPPERY ROCK — New Castle graduate and former Slippery Rock University assistant women’s basketball coach Ryenn Micaletti has been hired as head coach of the program.
Micaletti succeeds acting head coach Chenara Wilson, who was elevated from assistant coach to run the program following the death of Mars resident and Rock head coach Bobby McGraw prior to last season.
Wilson led SRU to a 15-13 overall record in 2022-23 and had two players — Deleah Gibson and Isabellah Middleton — earn second team All-PSAC honors. Wilson remains under contract at The Rock and may return as an assistant coach.
“That whole situation is still up in the air,” Micaletti said. “We have to sort out a lot of things.”
Micaletti, who was an assistant under McGraw from 2014-16, was announced as SRU’s new coach Monday by athletic director Roberta Page.
“I would like to thank Chenara for serving as the acting head coach this season,” Page said in a statement. “She stepped up during an incredibly difficult time for this program and I appreciate her effort in guiding us through this year.
“I am absolutely convinced we have hired the right person to bring a championship culture to Slippery Rock University women’s basketball,” Page said of Micaletti. “I am excited about the energy and experience Ryenn brings.”
Page said Monday night that Wilson “will have the opportunity to return as assistant coach,” adding that she has not given the university an indication on that option one way or the other.
Micaletti played college basketball at Seton Hill and has a long history as an assistant women’s basketball coach, making stops at Point Park, Indiana (Pa.), SRU, U.S. Naval Academy, Longwood University and most recently St. Louis University, where she coached this past season.
Micaletti helped the Billikens win their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title and make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament during her only season there.
Despite that success, she had no hesitation in applying for accepting the SRU head coaching post.
“I never thought I’d wind up back here under these circumstances,” Micaletti said, referencing McGraw’s death. “But this is my dream job and I’m very grateful for the opportunity.
“I adored my time there as an assistant (2014-16 under McGraw). Slippery Rock University is a great place, a wonderful school for students to spend formative years becoming an adult.”
Micaletti first met McGraw when she was playing basketball at Seton Hill. Tony Grenek, his brother-in-law, was one of her coaches there. McGraw talked her into leaving IUP to join him at The Rock when he was named head coach.
“I know she thinks dearly of him,” Page said. “Ryenn learned from Bobby while coaching with him. I don’t know if she shares his coaching style and that’s irrelevant anyway. I know they have a lot of the same character traits.”
This will be Micaletti’s first head coaching job. She officially begins her duties at The Rock on Friday.
“Bobby had a tremendous influence on my life,” Micaletti said. “He helped get me first assistant job at Point Park. He helped line me up at the Naval Academy to get me into Division 1. I’m honored to follow him here.
“I wouldn’t be the right coach for this job if I didn’t want to shoot for PSAC Championships and national championships. That’s my vision. I want my teams to play with pace, to play fast. Defensively, my motto is dictate and disrupt. We will play an exciting, effective brand of basketball.”
When Micaletti interviewed for the job, “her enthusiasm shined right through,” Page said. “That and her experience made her stand out immediately.”
She was one of more than 70 applicants for the job.
While Micaletti admitted to being behind in recruiting for this season, she is confident she can add to the talent she’s inheriting on the roster.
“We’ll look at the transfer portal, junior colleges, players who haven’t committed yet,” she said. “That work will begin immediately.”
