Caroline McCombs — George Washington University Women’s Basketball Head Coach, 20+ Year NCAA Division-I Coaching Veteran, and 2020 America East Coach of the Year on Success at the D-I Level

Sideline Sessions

This week I’m honored to speak with Caroline McCombs, head women’s basketball coach at George Washington University.

2023-24 is Coach McCombs’ third season at GW and 10th season overall as a head coach at the NCAA Division-I level. As a head coach and assistant coach, her teams have appeared in six NCAA tournaments and made two Sweet 16 appearances, and she also made an NCAA tournament as an all-conference player at Youngstown State.

We discussed Coach McCombs’ transition from playing to coaching, what young players need to know, and more, including:

• Went directly from being an all-conference college player into coaching
• How she made that transition successfully
• How she defines the role of coach
• Recruiting vs. coaching and how each contributes to success in an NCAA program
• What high school coaches and parents should know about the recruiting process
• Her team’s European Tour last summer
• Coaching a veteran team versus a younger team and what to expect

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About today’s guest

Head coach Caroline McCombs is in her third season at the helm of GW women’s basketball. McCombs' first two seasons with the Buff and Blue resulted in a run to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship. During her first year in Foggy Bottom, McCombs helped lead a team that ranked first in program history in points allowed in a season (55.2) and upset #5 La Salle to reach the Quarterfinals of the 2022 A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship. 2022-23 then saw the Buff and Blue with McCombs at the helm earn the 7-seed in the tournament to notch a first-round bye, and then knock off the 10-seed before narrowly falling in the quarters to the second seed.

A proven winner at every stop during her 25-year coaching career, McCombs arrived at GW after seven years as the head coach at Stony Brook where she led the Seawolves to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021. The 2020 America East Coach of the Year, McCombs won 130 games in seven years at Stony Brook.

Prior to becoming a head coach, McCombs gained a wealth of experience as an assistant coach for 15 years at the Division I level. She assisted four different programs and appeared in five NCAA tournaments, including two Sweet 16 appearances. She has also developed a pair of AP All-Americans and three WNBA players. McCombs was an all-conference performer for Youngstown State, where she graduated in 1998 with a degree in dietetics. McCombs was a two-time Mid-Continent Conference Second Team selection in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and played in two NCAA tournaments, including with the 1998 team that pulled off a first-round upset as a #12 seed.

About the host

Ross Romano is co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and also hosts The Authority Podcast. He began his career in the pro sports industry before becoming a leading communications, marketing, and management expert working with education companies. He is founder and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. He also works directly with professionals at all levels, in all industries, coaching them in their pursuit of success.

Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn. Listen to The Authority: https://authoritypodcast.net.

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