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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > South Carolina > Susan Walvius Resigns After Eleven Years at USC
Susan Walvius Resigns After Eleven Years at USC
by Marilyn McManus, SECWB.com
Posted: April 15th, 2008 @ 12:09am
USC women’s basketball coach Susan Walvius announced her resignation today, effective on May 31, according to The State newspaper and various other media sources. Walvius has not made a statement, nor was she available for comment, at this time. Reportedly, she met with the team this afternoon to let them know of the decision.
Walvius’ first season at USC was 1997-98, when she led a team assembled by previous head coach Nancy Wilson to a 13-15 record overall, 3-11 in the SEC. She and her staff had some difficulty recruiting the players they wanted in the United States and began recruiting in Europe to find the kind of talent needed. The European contingent, particularly Petra Ujhelyi, Cristina Ciocan and Tatyana Troina, along with the signing of local star Shaunzinski Gortman, and the transfer of hometown girl Teresa Geter from the University of Tennessee, led to Walvius’ best season in 2001-2002. Jocelyn Penn and Kelly Morrone rounded out the roster that achieved a 25-7 record, a second place finish in the SEC standings and a trip to the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The following year was also successful, with a 23-8 record (9-5 SEC) and another trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the second round to a Penn State team fortunate enough to be playing on their home court.
The next two seasons were sub-par, despite a highly regarded recruiting class of both European players and home-grown talent. The class of 2007 never quite seemed to reach it’s potential, though they did achieve winning records and WNIT berths in their last two years. Senior Day of 2007 seemed to be a turning point, of sorts, at least in terms of fan support. After a disappointing season, during which the starting lineup changed on a regular but unpredictable basis, many of the team’s seniors (former starting players) saw little or no playing time in the game. Two of those seniors were Europeans with their families present for the first time in their career. Despite a thrilling overtime game that resulted in a win, many fans left the game with a bad taste in their mouth and a negative outlook. Though the women’s team clearly has a devoted fan base, attendance has visibly decreased over the past few years and detractors have become more vocal.
This year’s team was heavy on youth (with 7 true freshman and 1 redshirt freshman) and light on experience. Despite a number of badly timed injuries and other complications, they managed a 16-16 record overall, including a 1-1 record in the WNIT. However, early in the season Athletic Director Eric Hyman sent a letter to Gamecock Club members outlining his expectations for all USC athletic teams–and his expectation was that all teams would play in their sports’ championship tournaments, every year. None of Walvius’ teams had met that standard since the 2002-2003 season and the best SEC record since that time was 7-7. Those struggles, combined with eroding fan support and the recent arrest of 2 freshman players, undoubtedly factored into today’s decision.
Walvius leaves with a record of 165-160 (.508) and a 51-103 record in SEC contests.
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