UM hoops coach Versyp going back to Indiana

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Sharon Versyp is going home.

Almost five years after taking over as the women’s basketball coach at the University of Maine, the Mishawaka, Ind., native is returning to her home state to become the head coach at Indiana University.

UMaine athletics spokesman Brent Williamson confirmed the move Thursday.

“Sharon has resigned to accept the coaching position at Indiana,” Williamson said.

Indiana is expected to officially announce Versyp’s appointment at a press conference this afternoon.

Versyp, who was en route to Bloomington, Ind., could not be reached for comment. She informed UMaine team members of her decision during a meeting Thursday morning.

At Indiana, the 39-year-old Versyp will replace Kathi Bennett, who resigned March 1 after leading the Hoosiers to a 72-74 record in five seasons.

Indiana went 20-11 under Bennett in 2000-01, then won the Big Ten Tournament championship and earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2002. However, the Hoosiers have gone 22-35 the past two seasons.

Versyp becomes the third straight UMaine women’s basketball coach to leave Orono for a job in the Big Ten Conference. Trish Roberts started the trend when she was hired at Michigan in 1992 after four seasons with the Black Bears.

In 2000, Joanne Palombo-McCallie ended an eight-year stint at UMaine to take the job at Michigan State. This season, she guided the Spartans to the national championship game.

Versyp was hired as UMaine’s head coach on May 15, 2000. It was her first collegiate head coaching position.

Versyp inherited a young team thinned by graduation and injuries. The 2000-01 squad had a 12-16 record and was one of only two UMaine teams in 30 years to finish under .500.

During the next four seasons, Versyp restored the Black Bears as the top program in America East.

Versyp’s teams posted a combined record of 98-51 (.658 wining percentage), capturing three consecutive conference regular-season titles from 2003 to 2005. In 2004, UMaine won the America East championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

The Bears also made WNIT appearances in 2003 and 2005.

Over the last three seasons, UMaine racked up an impressive 49-3 record in America East regular-season play. Versyp was named the league coach of the year in 2003 and 2005.

During the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, Versyp became the first coach to direct the UMaine women to 25 victories in back-to-back seasons.

UMaine is expected to begin a national search for Versyp’s successor in the near future.

Among those who might be potential candidates is Black Bears associate head coach Jody Benner. The Damariscotta native is a 1992 graduate of UMaine who has been involved with the program for 12 seasons.

Benner, 34, started out as a graduate assistant under McCallie from 1993-95, then became a paid assistant in 1995. He was named the associate head coach in 2003.

Benner is UMaine’s recruiting coordinator and also is in charge of scheduling and basketball summer camps.

Former UMaine standout Stephanie Guidi (1992-96) has just completed her third season as an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State.

Among other former Bears with coaching experience is all-time scoring leader and Clinton native Cindy Blodgett (1994-98). She played four seasons in the WNBA and spent one season as an assistant coach at Boston University.

Versyp’s career began as a player in Mishawaka, where she was named Miss Indiana Basketball in 1984. She attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where she became a four-year starter.

Versyp was an All-Big Ten choice in 1988, when she earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. She also received the Big Ten Gold Medal of Honor for academic and athletic excellence and was named Purdue’s Female Athlete of the Year.

Versyp was a 1989 honors graduate of Purdue with a B.A. in speech communications and theater education and a minor in health and physical education.

Her coaching career got its start at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis from 1989 to 1993, then she directed the program at Benton Central High in Oxford, Ind., from 1993 to 1996.

Versyp joined the college ranks at Louisville during the 1996-97 season, then spent three seasons as the top assistant at James Madison University in Virginia.