Cal State Fullerton Women's Basketball

Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah brings a quarter century of coaching excellence at the collegiate level to the Titans bench in 2004-05. Entering her ninth season over at the helm of the Fullerton women’s basketball program, she has the Titans poised to break back into the top half of the Big West Conference.

A well-respected coach and administrator, Jeremiah, who signed a three-year contract on April 29, 2003, returned to the bench last season after an 11-year hiatus, helping the Titans to a 9-20 overall record and an 8-10 mark in league play.

For Cal State Fullerton, it was the most victories since 1997-98 and the most Big West wins in nine years. Under her guidance, senior Tamara Quinn earned second-team all-conference honors (the first Titan to make the first or second team since 1996-97) and freshman Charlee Underwood was named to the league’s All-Freshman team (the third Titan in the last four years to earn a spot on the team).

Prior to returning to the bench, Jeremiah spent 11 years as a Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman’s Administrator at Cal State Fullerton, responsible for overseeing the athletic department’s academics program, assisting with departmental planning and financial forecasting and supervising volleyball, gymnastics, women’s basketball and softball.

As a head coach, Jeremiah took the Titans to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (1989 and 1991) with All-America and Big West Player of the Year center Eugenia Rycraw (now one of her assistant coaches) and compiled a seven-year record of 112-93 (.546).

Jeremiah, the second-winningest coach in the history of the program behind only Billie Moore’s 140 career victories, had her best season on the bench in 1990-91, leading the Titans to a school-record 25 victories and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Cal State Fullerton upset national powerhouse Louisiana Tech, 84-80, at Titan Gym that season before falling to Stanford, 91-67, in Palo Alto.

The Titans finished ranked 29th nationally in the final USA Today poll and finished 14-4 (third place) in the Big West.

Two years prior, she guided the Titans to a 21-9 mark and the school’s first appearence in the NCAAs, falling to Montana, 82-67, in the first round.

After that season, Jeremiah signed a three-year contract to continue coaching the Titans – the first coach of a women’s sport at Cal State Fullerton to sign a multi-year contract.

During her tenure, Jeremiah coached eight All-Big West honorees (seven of those first-team selections), four Big West All-Freshman Team selections, and three Big West All-Tournament Team selections.

Jeremiah’s administrative career began in 1991-92 when she served as Fullerton’s interim senior woman administrator while coaching her final season.
She served as chairperson of the NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Committee for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons after serving on the committee the previous two years. She has been a member of the Big West Conference Athletics Council and served on Cal State Fullerton’s Academic Senate executive committee and university planning committee.

Jeremiah brought a wealth of coaching experience and knowledge to the Titan program after serving as Indiana’s head coach for five seasons.

She opened her career with the Hoosiers with a 21-16 record in 1980-81 and was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year and District 5 Coach of the Year following the 1982-83 season after guiding the Hoosiers to a 19-11 overall record and the only regular season conference championship in school history with a 15-3 record (shared with Ohio State). The Hoosiers advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen that season, defeating Kentucky in the first round before falling to Georgia. Indiana finished tied for third and fourth in the Big Ten in her final two seasons.

Jeremiah averaged 18 wins a season with Indiana, compiling a 90-63 overall record and a 37-17 mark in Big Ten play. She coached seven First-team All-Big Ten selections during her career with the Hoosiers, including the 1983 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Linda Cunningham).

Prior to Indiana, Jeremiah spent two standout seasons at the University of Dayton, posting a stellar 69-5 overall record and helped lead the Flyers to the AIAW Division II National Championship in 1980 and a national runner-up finish in 1979. Dayton was also two-time MAIAW Regional and OAISW State Champions under Jeremiah, who was also named the AIAW National Coach of the Year in 1980

Her head coaching career at the college level began in 1970 at her alma mater, Cedarville University in Ohio, where she posted a 104-77 record in nine seasons. Jeremiah led the Yellow Jackets to the AIAW National Tournament in 1970 and a state championship in 1973. Cedarville was state runner-up in 1972 and advanced to the MAIAW Regional Tournament in 1972 and 1973.

Among the many honors Jeremiah has won is the Carol Eckman Award in 1990, presented annually by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to the coach who best represents sportsmanship and ethics in the coaching profession. She was selected Big West Conference and District 8 Coach of the Year after her 25-8 season in 1990-91.

Jeremiah coached the North team at the National Sports Festival in 1983 and has authored two books: “Coaching Basketball: Ten Winning Concepts” and “Basketball: The Women’s Game.”

She ranks among the top 100 coaches all-time in NCAA history according to winning percentage and 54th all-time in career victories prior to the 2002-03 season. She was one of four charter members inducted into Cedarville’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Jeremiah has earned several academic achievements over her lifetime including undergraduate degrees from Cedarville University (1965), where she played basketball for three seasons, and from nearby Central State University (1965).

She went on to earn her masters degree (1967) and a Ph.D. (1973) in physical education from The Ohio State University.