St. John's University Athletics
Joe Tartamella Participates in NCAA Mock Selection Exercise
8/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
QUEENS, N.Y. - Widely regarded as one of the top up-and-coming mentors in all of women's college basketball, Joe Tartamella was selected to participate in an NCAA Mock Selection Exercise on Thursday at the organization's offices in Indianapolis.
One of just 45 head and assistant coaches, conference and university administrators and media members nationwide picked for the exercise, Tartamella is set to gain valuable knowledge about what the committee looks for most in its at-large selections to the field of 64.
Tartamella, 37, recently finished his fourth season at the helm of the Red Storm Women's Basketball, a campaign that saw the Johnnies capture their first BIG EAST Title since 1988. En route to that memorable championship, the Red Storm defeated top-seeded DePaul on the Blue Demons home floor in the semifinal, charging back from a double-digit deficit to defeat a team that went 16-2 during regular-season conference action. After downing Creighton in the championship game, the Red Storm traveled to Waco, Texas, for the opening round of NCAA action, marking the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Johnnies earned a bid to The Big Dance.
Over the course of his four years leading the Johnnies, Tartamella has compiled a record of 87-45, good enough for a winning percentage of .659. His teams have made postseason appearances in each of his four years, including three trips to the NCAA Touranment, and have won an average of 22 games per season. In addition to his team's success, a number of his players have garnered outstanding individual honors over the past four seasons, including six First Team All-BIG EAST Selections, three WBCA Honorable Mention All-America nods and an astounding four selections in the WNBA Draft. Since 2013, only Connecticut and Tennessee have had more players taken in the WNBA Draft than the Red Storm.
Before taking over the reins of the St. John's program on April 27, 2012, Tartamella spent nearly a decade on the staff of Kim Barnes Arico, helping the Red Storm to four NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's first-ever trip to the Sweet 16 in 2012. With Tartamella helping guide the team, the Red Storm have made a postseason appearance in each of the last nine seasons.
