Joanne Boyle Former American basketball player and current head coach of the University of Virginia women's basketball team Date of Birth: 01.11.1963 Country: USA

Biography of Joan Boyle

Joan Boyle is a former American basketball player and the current head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Virginia. She achieved a record of 119-48 for her team in five years of coaching at Berkeley, as well as the highest shooting percentage (.713) among eight women's basketball coaches in the history of the university.

As a member of the State Farm/Wade Trophy Selection Committee and the American Youth National Team Committee, Boyle became the third person in history to be named "Coach of the Year" (Pac-10) in 2006-2007. Under her leadership, the California Golden Bears basketball team from the University of California, Berkeley, won more games (68) in three years than in the previous six seasons (63) before her arrival.

Boyle's team 'Cal' participated in the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2009 and achieved at least 20 wins for four consecutive seasons, a feat that had never been accomplished before. In 2008, 'Cal' made it to the final tournament of the Pac-10 for the first time. In 2009, the Bears were admitted to the NCAA 'Sweet 16' tournament for the first time and in 2010, they won six consecutive games to earn a spot in the first-ever WNIT Women's Basketball Championship.

In the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 seasons, Boyle's team achieved national rankings and set several student records. The 'Bears' had a high season win percentage of .794, a 15-3 record in Pac-10, and finished second in the Pac-10 rankings in both seasons. In the 2008-2009 season, 'Cal' held the third position for four weeks in the USA Today/ESPN rankings and the Associated Press rankings, and Boyle was ranked among the top ten coaches for 16 weeks.

During her first season (2005-2006) with the 'Cal' team, Joan led the newcomers to their first record of 18-12, placing them sixth in the Pac-10 rankings and earning them a long-awaited spot in the NCAA tournament. After her first season with 'Cal', Boyle was named an assistant coach for the US national team at the 2006 FIBA Championship and a member of the WBCA Board of Directors. In 2009, Boyle was named a member of the Youth National Team Committee, a position she will hold until the 2012 season.

Before her coaching career, Boyle played professional basketball for three years in Luxembourg and Germany, winning two league championships. She received a degree in economics from Duke University in 1985 and a Master's degree in health policy and administration from the University of North Carolina (UNC) in the same year.

In November 2001, while serving as an assistant coach for the Duke University team, Boyle suffered a brain hemorrhage. She recovered and returned to coaching practice in early 2002.