Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Columbia on February 14, 2025 , Loss , 37, to, 89
Final
Women's Basketball
at Columbia
37
89
Women's Basketball
Koclanes, Belle
Belle Koclanes
- Title:
- Gail Koziara Boudreaux '82 and Family Head Coach of Women's Basketball
- Alma Mater:
- Richmond ’02
- At Dartmouth:
- 8 Seasons (2013-21)
November 2020
Hired by Athletics Director Harry Sheehy in April 2013, Belle Koclanes (koh-CLAH-ness) is now entering her eighth season in 2020-21 as the Gail Koziara Boudreaux '82 and Family Head Coach of Dartmouth Women's Basketball.
During Koclanes' seventh season in 2019-20, Dartmouth finished up with an overall record of 10-17 and 4-10 in Ivy League competition. The Big Green had a great start to the year, defeating Vermont (72-55), Merrimack (57-52) and Fairfield (52-51) before being dealt their first loss at Manhattan. Dartmouth opened conference play with a 63-62 victory over Harvard, coming away with a huge win despite being down by one with just 17 seconds to go. In a two-week span, the Green defeated Cornell twice (the latter being their first OT win since 2018), sweeping the series over the Big Red for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Dartmouth ended the regular season with a decisive 72-58 win over Brown. The Ivy League Tournament was later canceled due to COVID-19.
The 2018-19 season marked the first time in the Koclanes era that the Big Green were alive in the Ivy League Tournament hunt in the final weekend of the season. Dartmouth made major strides by defeating Cornell on the road for the first time since 2009 and sweeping their New York road trip for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Senior Cy Lippold moved into the top 10 all-time in assists at Dartmouth and finishes her career No. 11 in 3-pointers made. Senior Isalys Quinones earned an All-Ivy League Second Team selection after leading the team with 14.0 points per game and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. Freshman Katie Douglas was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on February 25th after averaging 16.6 points per game and drilling five 3-pointers.
The 2017-18 season gave a glimpse at how far this team has come in its quest for an 18th Ivy League title. The Big Green narrowly missed out on the Ivy League Tournament, but posted their best overall season and home records since 2008-09 at 15-12 overall and 9-4 in Leede Arena. Dartmouth’s biggest triumphs came in wins over Boston College and Colorado, the first in program history against ACC and Pac-12 teams, respectively. Against Columbia, the Big Green set a school record by scoring 35 points in the third quarter. Senior Kate Letkewicz, an All-Ivy League Second Team selection, inked her name in the Dartmouth record books in six different categories, including 15th all-time in scoring, 12th all-time in rebounds and third all-time in 3-point field goals made. Lippold also had a breakout year ranking second on the team in scoring while dishing out 144 assists, second-most in a single season at Dartmouth.
During her fourth season (2016-17) at the helm, Koclanes coached junior Kate Letkewicz to her second consecutive All-Ivy honorable mention selection. The Big Green also upset Princeton on the final day of the regular season in front of a packed Leede Arena crowd.
In her third season (2015-16) Koclanes led her team to its best finish in conference play since 2009. The Big Green went 7-7 in the Ivy League good for fourth place. Under Koclanes, senior Lakin Roland earned All-Ivy First Team honors and Letkewicz received honorable mention.
In her second season (2014-15), Koclanes' squad made important progress finishing the season with a 14-14 record, the best season mark for a Dartmouth Women's Basketball team since the 2008-09 season. The 9-5 non-conference finish was also the best non-league record since the 2005-06 season. These improvements led to a jump of 158 spots in the NCAA RPI ratings. Fanni Szabo '17 earned All-Ivy Second Team Honors while Lakin Roland '16 garnered Honorable Mention All-Ivy praise.
During her first season (2013-14), Koclanes focused on moving the program forward towards its 18th Ivy League championship. The biggest improvement of the season was an Ivy win over eventual Ivy League champion Penn in Leede Arena in late February. Coach Belle instilled the program's core values of “RAP: Respect, Attitude, and Preparation” to unite this team towards a common goal.
With a BA in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond in 2002 and a MA in Culture and Communication from New York University, Coach Belle embeds leadership development into her everyday coaching philosophy. She believes in servant leadership where leadership is about action, not position. The team participates in many leadership activities throughout the year ranging from the Winter Games to mentor/mentee meetings with the coaching staff to 1 vs. 1 conversation with Coach Belle teaching ways in which a player must first learn to lead herself before others.
“Always remember where you come from” is an important saying with Dartmouth Women's Basketball. A 10-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Koclanes previously spent two years as an assistant coach at American University of the Patriot League in Washington, D.C.
“I am thrilled to welcome Belle into the Dartmouth athletics family and community,” said Sheehy. “During her visit to our campus, Belle impressed everyone with her knowledge of and passion for the game of basketball. She has learned the game from great coaches in great programs and is well suited to lead our team into the future. Our current team and future Dartmouth women's basketball players will love playing for Belle.”
“I also want to thank the four dedicated alumnae who served on our Search Advisory Committee,” Sheehy added. “Allison Greene '90, Ute Bowman Otley '90, Sherryta Freeman '01, and Ashley Taylor Meyer '07 were very generous with their time and insights and played a critical role in the search process.”
Koclanes spent two seasons as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator at American, where she helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back winning records. During her first season, American posted the first undefeated Patriot League record (14-0) in conference history. One of her major contributions to the staff was the implementation of her 12-month leadership development program. In addition, Koclanes was responsible for the development of the guards as well as game strategy.
“I want to thank Harry Sheehy, [Senior Associate Athletics Director] Drew Galbraith and the entire Dartmouth family for the opportunity to bring my experiences and passion of coaching to the Big Green,” Koclanes said. “As soon as I arrived in Hanover, it was evident that the people make the place. I am excited to connect with the community and see many familiar faces in Leede Arena.”
Prior to her stint at American, Koclanes spent three seasons on the staff at Old Dominion University for legendary coach Wendy Larry. During her time in Norfolk, the Lady Monarchs recorded a 56-38 overall record, including a 39-15 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play and earned two berths in the WNIT. Koclanes was responsible for the development of the guards with additional responsibilities for recruiting and game scouting.
A native of Pelham, NY, Koclanes is no stranger to the Ivy League as she started her career as the Director of Basketball Operations at Columbia University during the 2003-04 season before spending four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. During her tenure at Penn, Koclanes assisted in all aspects of recruiting, scouting, on-court coaching and game preparation.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Koclanes spent the 2002-03 season playing professionally for Panserraikos in the Greek Basketball League.
A three-year captain at the University of Richmond, Koclanes finished her collegiate career as the Spiders' career assist leader (793) and was an All-America nominee and a Naismith Award candidate (National Player of the Year). Growing up in a big Italian family, all Coach Belle knows how to do is share, which is evident in her assist numbers as a point guard. She led the conference in assists all four years and averaged 7.37 assists per game during her senior campaign (4th best in the NCAA). She totaled 30 games of 10-or-more assists in her career and had an astounding 22 Career Double-Doubles. Always looking to improve, Koclanes broke Richmond's program assists mark each year of her career (160, 204, 208, 221) in addition to finishing her career with 1,205 points.
A member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Koclanes has presented at the Assistant Coaches Roundtables in conjunction with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Convention held each year at the Final Four.
Koclanes was also invited to The Center for Coaching Excellence, which is a two-day elite leadership-training program that provides an unparalleled exclusive learning experience for coaches of women's basketball.
“Dartmouth has a strong winning tradition that has been established by the outstanding coaches and players of the past,” said Koclanes. “I am eager for the challenge to continue this legacy. I believe that coaching is about building relationships with people and creating a culture for young adults to achieve excellence. Our team culture will be rooted in respect, attitude, and preparation. With these values at our core, we will wear the Green with pride as we strive for our 18th Ivy League title.”
Belle and her wife Jill currently reside in Hanover with their daughter, Riley Harper.
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