Villanova University Women's Basketball

Denise Dillon will be entering her sixth season at her alma mater in 2025-26. In her first five years as the Wildcat head coach, Dillon led Villanova to a 114-51 overall record (.690) and a 63-26 BIG EAST mark (.707). During her first five years on the Main Line, she has guided Villanova to two NCAA Tournament appearances, one WNIT berth and two trips to the WBIT, including one championship game and a semifinal appearance. Her 22-year overall coaching record currently stands at 443-262 (.628) entering the 2025-26 season.   Last year, Dillon and the Wildcats tallied their fourth consecutive 20-win season with a 21-15 overall record and an 11-7 BIG EAST Conference mark. The Wildcats earned a bid to the WBIT where they advanced to the semifinals for the second straight season. A season before, Villanova advanced to the championship game of the inaugural WBIT. Under Dillon’s tutelage last year, freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe was named first team All-BIG EAST, in addition to earning a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team.   The 2022-23 season was a magical one for Dillon and the Wildcats. Villanova went 30-7 overall and 17-3 in BIG EAST play and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.  The 30 wins set a school record for single season victories. The Wildcats finished in second place in the BIG EAST regular season standings and played in the conference championship game for the second straight season.   For their efforts in 2022-23, Villanova earned a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament and were chosen as a host site for the first and second rounds. This marked just the second time in program history that Villanova hosted NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament games. In front of near capacity crowds at the Finneran Pavilion, the Wildcats defeated Cleveland State in the first round and Florida Gulf Coast in round two to advance to the Sweet 16.  The Florida Gulf Coast triumph was extra special for Dillon who registered her 400th career victory in the win. Dillon helped senior forward Maddy Siegrist lead the country during the 2022-23 campaign, as well as the BIG EAST for a third straight year in scoring with a 29.2 points per game average. Siegrist was rewarded for her standout play by earning BIG EAST Player of the Year honors for a second consecutive season and she garnered consensus first team All-American acclaim. Siegrist also claimed the Katrina McClain Award as the top power forward in the country. Siegrist went on to be selected with the third overall pick of the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings.   Under Dillon’s direction in 2021-22, Villanova tallied a 24-8 record, including a 15-4 BIG EAST Conference mark which was good enough for a second place finish in the final league standings. For their efforts, the Wildcats earned an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated BYU in the first round before falling to Michigan in round two. Villanova also went 3-1 in Philadelphia Big 5 play to capture the City Series championship.          For her efforts in 2021-22, Dillon was named both the BIG EAST and Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year. This marks the fifth time that Dillon has been named a conference coach of the year. During her Drexel career she was a four-time CAA Coach of the Year.       Dillon came to Villanova from Drexel University where she built the Dragons into a perennial contender, making a name for herself in the Philadelphia sports scene and the women's basketball coaching ranks, while bringing her team national attention for its consistent success and high level of play. She led the Dragons to 10 postseason appearances, including winning the WNIT championship in 2013. During her 17-year Drexel career, Dillon compiled a 329-204 (.617) record.   From 2016-20, Dillon's Drexel teams boasted a 96-35 record (.732) and advanced to national postseason play each season.  In all, the Dragons won 20 or more games seven times under Dillon's watch, claimed four CAA titles and played in five conference championship games.  Dillon was named the CAA Coach of the Year in 2005, 2009, 2018 and 2020.     The traits that have allowed Dillon to excel during her coaching career were honed during her time as a Villanova student-athlete. She played for head coach Harry Perretta and was part of Wildcats teams that went 68-43 (.613) during her collegiate career. Dillon accumulated 1,355 points and 677 rebounds while developing into an All-BIG EAST honoree and a three-time All-Big 5 selection.  She remains one of the all-time greats in the Villanova program and is enshrined in the Big 5 Hall of Fame (2004), the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame (2012), the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame (2012) and the Cardinal O'Hara High School Hall of Fame (2018).    Dillon was appointed as the head coach at Drexel prior to the 2004-05 season after spending one year as the program's interim head coach.  She led that 2004-05 squad to a 19-10 record and a first-round bye in the CAA Tournament.  The Dragons eventually advanced to the semifinals and came within one point of toppling Old Dominion, a feat that had never before been accomplished in the conference tournament.   Drexel boasted a winning record in 11 of the last 12 seasons under Dillon, but the first true breakthrough of her coaching career came in 2008-09 when the Dragons played their way to the 2009 regular season CAA title and a then-program record of 24 wins.  What came next was the feat that had so narrowly eluded Drexel a few seasons earlier; the Dragons knocked off 17-time defending conference champion Old Dominion and ended the Lady Monarchs' NCAA-best 50-game conference tournament winning streak.  Drexel went on to defeat James Madison on its home court to bring home the school's first CAA title and earn its first NCAA Tournament appearance.   In 2012-13, Dillon led the Dragons to a school-record 28 victories and the WNIT title after a remarkable postseason run that saw Drexel defeat Iona, Harvard, Bowling Green, Auburn, Florida and Utah on its way to the first postseason tournament championship in both CAA history and Philadelphia Division I women's basketball history.   Dillon's teams netted Drexel's first-ever victories over teams from the SEC (Auburn, Florida), the Pac-12 (Utah) and the ACC (Syracuse).  She posted two wins over nationally ranked opponents, including the victory over the 11th-ranked Orange in 2016-17 when Syracuse was coming off a national runner-up finish one year earlier.  During her Dragons tenure, Dillon saw her student-athletes be named All-CAA performers a total of 27 times. She coached three CAA Rookies of the Year, two CAA Players of the Year, the program's first AP All-American, the leading scorer in Philadelphia women's basketball history and the first Drexel women's player to be selected in the WNBA Draft.  In 2018-19, she mentored the CAA Player of the Year (Bailey Greenberg) and during the season became the first Drexel basketball coach to win 300 career games at the school.  Dillon's 2018-19 squad also led the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 50.5 points per contest.   Off the court, Dillon's commitment to helping student-athletes grow as players and as people has been one of the Drexel program's greatest success stories.  She produced five winners of the CAA's prestigious Dean Ehlers Leadership Award, while Nicole Hester '09 was the recipient of the John Randolph Inspiration Award and the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's Most Courageous Award.  Drexel also was active in the community throughout Dillon's tenure.  The program made visits to the Ronald McDonald House and several local daycare centers, organized fundraisers and rallied the Philadelphia community while using their collective experiences to grow as individuals.   DREXEL YEAR-BY-YEAR Interim Coach 2003-04        10-18 (t-7th CAA) Head Coach 2004-05        19-10 (3rd) – CAA Coach of the Year 2005-06        15-14 (7th) 2006-07        10-21 (9th) 2007-08        18-12 (t-3rd) 2008-09        24-9 (1st) – CAA Coach of the Year; CAA Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament 2009-10        17-14 (t-4th) 2010-11        19-13 (t-5th) 2011-12        19-14 (3rd) 2012-13        28-10 (3rd) – WNIT Champions 2013-14        15-16 (4th) 2014-15        20-11 (2nd) 2015-16        19-14 (2nd) 2016-17        22-11 (3rd) 2017-18        27-8 (1st) – CAA Coach of the Year 2018-19        24-9 (2nd) 2019-20        23-7 (1st) – CAA Coach of the Year Drexel Career / 329-211   VILLANOVA YEAR-BY-YEAR 2020-21        17-7 (4th in BIG EAST) 2021-22        24-9 (2nd in BIG EAST) – BIG EAST Coach of the Year; NCAA Tournament 2nd Round 2022-23        30-7 (2nd BIG EAST) – NCAA Tournament Sweet 16; 400th career win; Big 5 Coach of the Year 2023-24        22-13 (T-3rd BIG EAST) – WBIT Championship Game 2024-25        21-15 (5th BIG EAST) – WBIT Semifinals Villanova Career (5 years) / 114-51 (.690)   Overall (22 years)/ 443-262 (.628)  

Joe Mullaney returns to the Wildcats for his 30th season in 2025-26. As the team’s Associate Head Coach, he is involved with all the aspects of on-court coaching and pre-game scouting of opponents. He came to the Main Line in 1996 and was elevated to his current position in 1998-99. Prior to beginning his tenure with the Wildcats, Mullaney was the head women’s basketball coach at St. Johns University for 12 seasons. He compiled a 168-173 mark during his tenure and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Mullaney was also the head coach at Providence College from 1980-83 and registered a 66-27 mark with the Friars. Throughout his career as a head coach, Mullaney recorded three seasons with at least 20 victories. He was named the 1990-91 BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year. Mullaney’s coaching career got its start in 1978-79 when he served as the head boys basketball coach at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School in his hometown of Warwick, R.I. Following his one-year stint at the high school level, Mullaney became the assist men’s coach at Rhode Island College from 1979-80, before taking over the reigns of the Providence women’s program. He is a 1978 graduate of Providence College where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. During his playing days, Mullaney participated in two NCAA Tournaments and the NIT semifinals once. Mullaney and his wife Kathy reside in Downingtown, Pa. and are the parents of four children: Meghan (44), Amie Beth (42), Patrick Joseph (37) and Sean Connor (33). Meghan graduated from Villanova in 2002, Amie earned her Wildcat degree in 2005, Patrick earned his degree from Villanova in 2009 and Sean graduated from Villanova in 2014.

Tiara Malcom enters her fourth season on the Villanova coaching staff in 2025-26. In addition to her on-court coaching responsibilities, she also serves as the recruiting coordinator.      Malcom came to Villanova with a wealth of coaching experience. After serving as an assistant coach at the University of Delaware from 2006-15, she was the head coach at Florida International University from 2016-20.   Most recently, she was the Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Success and Leadership Development at Delaware. In this role, she created leadership development strategies for both coaches and student-athletes. Prior to this position, Malcom was the Program Assistant for Campus Recreation and Wellness at Elon University from 2020-22.   During her playing days, Malcom was a four-year standout at Delaware where she played in 121 career games and tallied 1,545 points. For her efforts as a senior in 2004-05 when she led the CAA in scoring with a 16.6 points per game average, Malcom was named the league's Player of the Year.   Malcom graduated from Delaware in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services and she earned a Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration from Delaware in 2011. She and her one-year old daughter, Bronx, reside in Delaware.  

Returning for her fourth season on the Wildcat staff in 2025-26 is Jess Genco who serves as an assistant coach.   Genco comes to Villanova from Boston College where she was a graduate assistant coach for one year. In this role, she provided in game feedback to the head coach on defensive success rates, oversaw and organized managers and scout team players, assisted with planning and execution of both official and unofficial visits and served as the liaison with the communications and ticket office.   Before her stint at Boston College, Genco was a graduate assistant coach at Northeastern University from September of 2020 until April of 2021. With this position she assisted the head coach with daily practice planning and game strategy, organized pre/post season guard workouts, served as the assistant recruiting coordinator and coordinated academic meetings with student-athletes.   Genco was a standout at Northeastern from 2016-19 where she was a three-year captain and graduated as the program’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,567 points and as the school record holder in assists. She was a two-time first team All-CAA honoree in 2018 and 2019 and in 2016 she earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team. Genco was named the recipient of the 2019 Jeanne Rowlands Award which is given to the top female athlete at Northeastern.     

Villanova University head women's basketball coach Denise Dillon today announced that Brooke Mullin has been hired as the program's Assistant Director of Basketball Operations. In this role, Mullin will assist with various administrative responsibilities, including student-athlete academic progress, practice planning, team and player travel planning, marketing strategies and social media. She spent last season as part of the Drexel University coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Mullin is no stranger to the Villanova women's basketball program, having been a player for the Wildcats from 2019-23. She started 89 of the 124 games she played in as a Wildcat and tallied 463 points, 293 rebounds, 269 assists and 78 steals. During her four-year Villanova career, Mullin helped the Wildcats to an 89-36 record and two trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2022-23. After her Villanova playing career, Mullin transferred to Drexel as a graduate student and was a member of the 2023-24 CAA championship team. For her efforts in the CAA Tournament that season, Mullin was named to the CAA Championship All-Tournament team.

Michelle Sword enters her sixth season as a member of the Wildcat coaching staff in 2025-26. Sword arrived at Villanova in 2020-21 after spending the previous eight seasons on Denise Dillon’s Drexel University staff.   In her role, Sword will assist with on-court coaching duties, handle film breakdown of Wildcat players and Villanova opponents and she will serve as one of the program’s on road recruiters.   Sword began her Drexel career as the team’s Graduate Assistant from 2012-2014. In this position, she was responsible for the day-to-day operations within the basketball team, including travel and meal plan coordination, practice organization and office management. For the past six seasons, Sword was a full-time assistant on the Drexel coaching staff where she helped the Dragons to five 20-win seasons, five WNIT berths, three CAA tournament championship games and CAA regular season championships in 2017-18 and 2019-20.   She spent her collegiate career at Saint Joseph’s University where she was four-year standout finishing as the program's all-time leader for games played with 127. Sword, who ranks 14th on the Hawks all-time scoring list with 1,184 points, earned second team All-Atlantic 10 honors as a senior in 2012 when she averaged a team-high 13.0 points per game. She also garnered a spot on the 2012 Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team and the 2012 All-Philadelphia Big 5 First Team.   Sword earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Health Science from Saint Joseph’s in 2012 and a Master’s Degree in Sports Management from Drexel in 2014. Sword and her husband, Myles, reside in Coatesville with their two-year old daughter, Myla.

Latifah Coleman enters her fifth year as the program’s Director of Video and Recruiting Operations in 2025-26.  In this role, Coleman oversees all aspects of video production for the coaching staff during both practices and on game days. She also assists with all aspects of the team’s recruiting operations.   Coleman came to Villanova from the University of North Carolina where she served as the Video Coordinator for her alma mater. A native of South Carolina, Coleman played at North Carolina from 2010-2015 where she was a two-year starter at point guard. In her final two seasons, Coleman helped the Tar Heels to a 53-19 overall record, including appearances in the Elite 8 and Sweet 16. As a senior, she was named to NCAA Tournament Greensboro All-Region Team.