WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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Linda Hill-MacDonald Head Coach - FourthSeason E-mail: lh29@buffalo.edu Phone: 716-645-3025 Office: 206 E Alumni Arena

Linda Hill-MacDonald begins her fourth season as head coach of the University at Buffalo women's basketball team, after a season where the Bulls had the second best win turnaround in the Mid-American Conference.

Last season, Hill-MacDonald helped coach two players onto the All-MAC team for the time since the 2001-02 season. Stephanie Bennett became UB’s first All-MAC Second Team selection since the 2002-03 season and Heather Turner completed a brilliant career with her fourth straight postseason honor from the MAC. The Bulls 15-15 record was their best record since 2002-03 as was there 8-8 conference mark.

In 2006-07, Hill-MacDonald led the Bulls to 10 wins for the second straight year, helping Heather Turner become just the third junior in UB women's basketball history to record 1,000 career points and the first player to do that while also recording 600 rebounds as a junior.

In her inaugural year, Hill-MacDonald coached players onto both the All-MAC Third Team and the All-MAC freshman squad. She also helped coach Stephanie Bennett, who finished the 2005-06 season as the league's leading three-point shooter. UB finished the 2005-06 campaign with a third-place finish in the MAC East, its highest finish since 2002-03, and hosted a first-round home playoff game in the MAC Tournament.

"UB was seeking experience and success and we found both with Linda," said Dennis Black, Vice President of Student Affairs at the time of Hill-MacDonald's hiring. "With such a strong leadership record in women's basketball, we are delighted to have her come to Buffalo and to lead our program."

Hill-MacDonald came to UB after spending four of the past five seasons as an assistant coach at South Carolina of the powerful Southeastern Conference. Known among women's basketball circles as one of the game's top tacticians, Hill-MacDonald assisted head coach Susan Walvius in game strategies, scouting reports, recruiting and on-court practices. During her tenure at South Carolina, the Gamecocks twice appeared in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2001-02 and to the second round in 2002-03. The Gamecocks were ranked in the Top 20 in both of those seasons as well.

Post-season appearances are nothing new to Hill-MacDonald, as in her first college coaching job she took Temple University to unprecedented heights as the head coach from 1980-90. In her 10 years at Temple, she became the school's most successful women's basketball coach. The Owls had only one winning season in seven before Hill-MacDonald's arrival, then made two WNIT trips and earned an NCAA Tournament berth with her at the helm. She was twice rewarded as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, in addition to securing Big 5 Coach of the Year recognition once.

During her seven seasons at Minnesota (1990-97), Hill-MacDonald led the Gophers to their first-ever NCAA appearance and impressed the importance of academics on her student-athletes. During her tenure in Minneapolis, 20 Gophers earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition under her watch. In her tenure at Temple, she also served as an academic advisor, organizing study skill sessions and tutoring programs for all female student-athletes. She also spent one year at Temple as the Acting Associate Athletic Director, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the women's athletic programs during the 1982-83 academic year.

Hill-MacDonald's great success in the collegiate ranks led her to being named the first head coach of the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers from 1997-99. In her three seasons, she led the team to a 42-38 overall record, the 1998 Eastern Conference Championship Title and the team's first trip to the WNBA Playoffs in 1998. She was also selected to coach the Eastern Team in the Inaugural 1999 WNBA All-Star Game.

She also spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant coach with the Washington Mystics under current New York Liberty assistant Marianne Stanley. Following her stint with the Mystics, Hill-MacDonald served as a scout for the Liberty before returning to South Carolina.

Originally from Morton, PA, Hill-MacDonald graduated from West Chester University in 1970 with a degree in health, physical education and recreation. She earned her master's degree in physical education in 1984 after returning to her alma mater. As a student-athlete at West Chester, she was a three-sport standout, earning honors in basketball, lacrosse and field hockey. She was named the school's Outstanding Female Athlete while her team won the first-ever national basketball championship during her junior season. She was inducted into West Chester's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

In her coaching career, she has also served as president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (1995-96), served on the Women's Basketball Rules Committee (1990-96), including as chairperson in 1995-96, and was also head coach at the Olympic Sports Festival in 1989. She was also honored with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Carol Eckman Award, given to the coach in the profession who has exemplified commitment to the student athlete, integrity and sportsmanship. Eckman was Hill-MacDonald's coach at West Chester.

Hill-MacDonald has a daughter, Kelli (27), and a son, Scott (32), who both reside in the Philadelphia area.

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