Caroline McCombs

Caroline McCombs completed her sixth season as the head coach of the Stony Brook women's basketball team in 2019-20. McCombs, the America East Coach of the Year, led the Seawolves to a program-record 28-3 mark en route to the team’s first-ever America East regular season championship. That record-setting year also included a 22-game win streak, which was the longest active streak in the nation.

After making history last season with its first win over a Power Five team, Stony Brook struck again in 2019-20, taking down ACC opponent Pitt, 59-56, in Pittsburgh.McCombs’ defensive scheme proved to be potent, holding opponents to just 54.6 points per game – ranking 11th in the nation. The squad’s 118 blocks that year also matched its program record.

Under McCombs’ guidance, graduate student Cheyenne Clark had a final season to remember. The forward broke the school record for single-season offensive rebounds (135) and led the conference in rebounding, averaging 8.5 per game. With 4.4 offensive rebounds per game, Clark checked in at No. 9 in the national rankings. With a 115-70 record at Stony Brook, McCombs is the program’s winningest coach in its Division I era and the second-winningest coach overall.

The Seawolves have now had 16 all-conference selections in the six years under McCombs. Sabre Proctor was selected to the all-conference first team in 2014-15, while Kori Bayne-Walker made the second team and Brittany Snow landed on the third team. In 2015-16, Snow improved to earn second team recognition, while Bayne-Walker was a second team selection in 2016-17. During the 2017-18 season, Shania Johnson was named to the all-conference first team, Jerell Matthews was put on the second team and McKenzie Bushee was placed on the all-rookie team. Johnson was once again a first team pick in 2018-19 along with Matthews while Anastasia Warren was placed on the all-rookie squad. India Pagan was a first team selection in 2019-20 and also earned all-academic recognition. Kaela Hilaire and Warren were designated to the second and third team, respectively, while Clark was an all-defensive honoree. Additionally, Victoria Johnson was selected as the Sixth Player of the Year, the first time a Stony Brook player has earned that distinction.

Stony Brook finished the 2018-19 campaign with 23 total wins, the most under McCombs since she took over as head coach of the program prior to the start of the 2014-15 season. Under her tutelage, the 2018-19 squad made program history, securing its first-ever win over a Power Five opponent as the Seawolves took down Penn State (81-70) on Nov. 25 in University Park.

The Seawolves have now had eleven all-conference selections in the five years under McCombs. Sabre Proctor was selected to the all-conference first team in 2014-15, while Kori Bayne-Walker made the second team and Brittany Snow landed on the third team. In 2015-16, Snow improved to earn second-team recognition, while Bayne-Walker was a second-team selection in 2016-17. Shania Johnson was named to the all-conference first team in 2017-18, Jerell Matthews earned all-conference second team honors, and McKenzie Bushee was selected to the all-rookie team.

The Seawolves featured a top-40 scoring defense in 2016-17, as Stony Brook stifled opponents from beyond the arc, allowing the third-fewest three-pointers in the nation. Stony Brook held 20 of 30 opponents to 60 points or less during the campaign. McCombs coached a senior backcourt tandem of Kori Bayne-Walker, a 1,000-point scorer and the program's all-time leader in assists, and Christa Scognamiglio, who in just three years on campus ranked among the top three-point shooters in program history.

In 2015-16, McCombs became the first coach in Stony Brook Division I history to lead her team to two postseason appearances, finishing 17-15 and accepting a bid to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) for the second consecutive season. McCombs collected her first career win in the America East Tournament when the Seawolves beat Hartford 60-42 in the America East Quarterfinals on March 5.

Two members from coach McCombs' first recruiting class (Ogechi Anyagaligbo and Davion Wingate) landed on the America East All-Rookie team in 2015-16 with Anyagaligbo earning America East Rookie of the Year. She became the first freshman to lead the America East in rebounding since the 2005-06 season.

In her first season in 2014-15, McCombs led the Seawolves to 17 overall wins and 10 wins in the America East Conference. She also guided Stony Brook to only the third postseason berth in program history, as the program was selected to participate in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).

Under McCombs, the Seawolves were 11-3 in the new Island Federal Credit Union Arena, including a 68-64 home victory over America East champion Albany.

McCombs squad is not only excelling on the court, but in the classroom as well. Her 2014-15 and 16-17 teams earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award, given to programs that score in the top 10% in Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their respective sports. Two players also earned America East All-Academic Team selections.

McCombs came to Stony Brook with more than 15 years of experience as an assistant coach at the Division I level. She had assisted three different programs to a total of five NCAA Tournament berths, including two Sweet 16 appearances. McCombs’ strength in developing players has also resulted in two Associated Press All-Americans and three WNBA players.

McCombs spent from 2012 to 2014 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn University, where she assisted the program to back-to-back WNIT berths. She developed a pair of SEC All-Conference and All-Defensive Team players, as well as one All-Freshman Team performer. In her first season at Auburn in 2012-13, McCombs helped guide the Tigers to 19 wins, the program’s most in four years. As Auburn’s Recruiting Coordinator, she was influential in signing a class that ranked 16th nationally in 2012.

Prior to her time at Auburn, McCombs coached nine Big Ten All-Conference selections in her two seasons as an assistant coach for Northwestern University from 2010 to 2012. Under her tutelage, Amy Jaeschke made history in 2011 by becoming the program's first-ever WNBA Draft pick after being selected 27th by the Chicago Sky. That year, Jaeschke was also Northwestern's first AP All-American since 1998. While at Northwestern, McCombs’ helped coach the team to a WNIT appearance in 2010-11 and assisted in recruiting a top-25 class.

McCombs spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 2005 to 2010. McCombs helped rebuild the program, assisting the program to five-straight postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. These appearances in the NCAA Tournament included back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Additionally, the Panthers played in the WNIT in 2005-06 and 2009-10, reaching the Final Four in 2009-10. She also coached Shavonte Zellous, who went on to earn All-America honors and was the 11th overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. Zellous is one of six Pittsburgh student-athletes McCombs coached who went on to play professionally.

Before arriving at Pittsburgh, McCombs spent six seasons from 1999 to 2005 at Valparaiso University, the first five as assistant coach and the last as associate head coach. During that time, she helped the Crusaders to two conference championships and three postseason berths, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Among the 15 All-Conference Team honorees she coached was Marlous Nieuwveen, who became the first player in school and Mid-Continent Conference history to reach the WNBA when she made the Los Angeles Sparks in 2005.

McCombs, a native of Medina, Ohio, graduated from Youngstown State in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in dietetics. While attending Youngstown State, McCombs earned an impressive list of accomplishments for the Penguins' basketball team, including places on the Mid-Continent Conference Second Team in 1996-97 and 1997-98, and on the Mid-Continent All-Tournament Team three consecutive years from 1996 to 1998. McCombs was also a part of two NCAA Tournament teams as a player, including the 1997-98 team that upset the #5 seed as a #12 seed.

McCombs left her mark in the record books at Youngstown State, having started 112 of 115 career games and scoring 1,577 career points, finishing her career as the school's all-time sixth-leading scorer. McCombs is also among the school all-time leaders with 146 career three-pointers, 493 assists, and 236 steals.

After McCombs graduated from Youngstown State, she played European professional women's basketball, competing in the Czech Basketball Federation and European Cup in 1998.

McCombs, who obtained her master’s degree in liberal studies from Valparaiso in 2001, also served as the Head Coach for the 2004 Athletes in Action team that played in Warsaw, Poland. In April 2011, McCombs was inducted into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame in Ohio. It was an honor she is familiar with, having also been enshrined into the Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2008.