Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- mannettij@sacredheart.edu
- Phone:
- (203) 365-7698
- Class:
- Concordia (NY) '01
The second longest tenured head coach and eight wins shy of becoming the second coach in program history to hit 200 career victories, Jessica Mannetti enters her 14th season at the helm of the Sacred Heart University women’s basketball team in 2026-27.
Under Mannetti’s leadership. Sacred Heart is one of the top programs in the Northeast with five postseason appearances, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the programs first ever win in the NCAA Tournament over Southern University in 2023. Overall, Mannetti holds a 192-195 (.496) career record having qualified for postseason conference tournaments in all but two seasons with a pair of NEC Regular Season Championships and a pair of NEC Tournament Championships to her credit.
Individually, Mannetti cultivated one of the most decorated players in program history, Ny’Ceara Pryor who became the first player in program history to make an appearance in a WNBA game with the New York Liberty. A two-time player of the year and two-time defensive player of the year, Pryor closed out her career at SHU third all-time in scoring (1,790) and second all-time in steals (257).
The Baltimore, Md. native led all Division I women’s basketball players in steals per game as a freshman and junior and was the first rookie in NEC history to win Player, Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year accolades in the same season. She also became just the fifth player in league history to repeat at Player of the Year.
Throughout her tenure, Mannetti has coached 13 different players to 23 total All-Conference selections and 10 players who were named to All-Rookie Team. Among the 13 all-conference performers, seven were repeat or three-time selections.
A Fairfield County native, Mannetti was named the eighth head coach in program history on June 24, 2013, making her debut as a collegiate head coach on November 8, 2013 against St. John’s and earning her first collegiate head coaching victory on November 16, 2013, defeating Yale University 67-54.
Mannetti came to Sacred Heart after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Hofstra University on Krista Kilburn-Steveskey's staff. While at Hofstra, Mannetti helped guide the Pride to a 72-55 record as well as a pair of appearances in the WNIT.
At Hofstra, she helped develop several players who went on to receive accolades from the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA) including Candace Bond who was named the 2012-13 CAA Defensive Player of the Year. She assisted with the development of All-American Shante Evans, who was named to the 2011 USA Basketball Women's Pan American Games team. As a recruiter, Hofstra's 2011 class ranked as the sixth best mid-major recruiting class in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
Prior to arriving at Hofstra, Mannetti served as the head girls' varsity basketball coach at Green Farms Academy in Westport, CT. In 2008-09 she led the team to a spot in the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) postseason tournament for the first time in school history. In her five seasons with Greens Farm, she developed the program from junior varsity status in 2004-05 to leading the Dragons to the playoffs in her final campaign.
A veteran of the AAU scene, Mannetti served as the head coach of the U-18 girls' team for the CT Future Stars AAU Basketball program from 2004 through 2008. Mannetti has also spent considerable time working with the Five-Star Basketball in a variety of positions since 1999. In addition, she previously worked an internship with the New York Knicks in their basketball operations department and worked as an event staffer for the New York Liberty.
A three-sport athlete in college, Mannetti graduated from Concordia College in Bronxville, NY in 2001 with a degree in business administration. She played volleyball, basketball and softball at Concordia and served as the team captain for both the volleyball and basketball teams.
YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
2025-26
- Led the Pioneers to their first MAAC Championship appearance, with a 10-10 league record, where the Pios defeated Saint Peter’s in the first round of the MAAC Championship.
- Led a pair of MAAC All-Conference performers in Amelia Wood (Second Team) and Sophie Nascimento (Rookie Team).
- Amelia Wood became the 24th player in program history to record 1,000 career points, doing so in the MAAC opener against Iona. Wood was also named All-Met Honorable Mention.
2024-25
- Guided the Pioneers through their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
- Coached Ny'Ceara Pryor to her second conference Defensive Player of the Year award as the junior guard was named the MAAC DPOY.
- For the second time in her career, Pryor led the country in steals per game at 4.1.
- Pryor's accolades included being named All-MAAC Second Team and All-MET Second Team.
2023-24
- Led the Pioneers to their second straight NEC Championship, becoming the fourth team in conference history to repeat as champions.
- Guided the team to a 24-10 overall record, which included a 15-game win streak, the team's longest since 2008-09. The 24 wins is their most since 2011-12 and is the fourth most in program history.
- Went 15-1 in the NEC, winning the team's first regular season title since 2015-16.
- Coached Ny'Ceara Pryor to her second straight NEC Player of the Year honor as she became just the fifth player in league history to repeat as Player of the Year.
- Pryor also claimed a record-breaking 10 NEC Player of the Week awards throughout the year, was named First Team All-Met and First Team All-NEC in each of the first two seasons.
- Sajada Bonner and Amelia Wood were also named to All-NEC Teams, while standout first year Nalyce Dudley made the All-Rookie Team.
2022-23:
- Led SHU to a .500 overall record and 19 wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
- Won the first NEC tournament title in program history since 2012. Ny'Ceara Pryor (MVP) and Olivia Tucker were named to the All-Tournament Team.
- Coached SHU to the first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in program history and NEC women's basketball history with a 57-47 win over Southern in the First Four.
- Guided the Pioneers to a 12-4 record in NEC play and a second-place finish in league rankings. Picked up 100th conference win versus FDU on Jan. 21.
- Ny'Ceara Pryor became the first rookie in program and conference history to be named NEC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season. She was also selected to First Team All-NEC and All-Rookie Team.
- Sajada Bonner earned a spot on Second Team All-NEC while Amelia Wood was a part of the All-Rookie Team.
2021-22:
- Returned Sacred Heart to the NEC Tournament after missing postseason for the first time in her tenure the previous season. The Pioneers beat CCSU to advance to the Quarterfinals.
- Guided the Pioneers to two-straight upset wins against Wagner and Merrimack in the second half of the regular season.
2020-21:
- Posted a .500 record in conference play.
- Adrianne Hagood was named Second-Team All-NEC for the second time. Nikki Johnson earned Third-Team All-NEC while Kelsey Wood was selected to the NEC All-Rookie Team.
2019-20:
- Won the final four games of the regular season on their way to a 9-9 mark in the conference, 13-17 overall.
- Defeated St. Francis, 73-70, in the quarterfinals of the NEC Tournament.
- Adrianne Hagood was named Second-Team All-NEC. Sonia Smith earned a spot on the NEC All-Rookie Team.
2018-19:
- Posted an impressive 19-win campaign, leading the Pioneers to a 19-13 overall mark and 14-4 record in league play
- Earned a league-record 20th consecutive NEC Tournament appearance, advancing to the semifinal round for the fourth straight year and earning a spot in the WNIT for the fourth time in the last seven seasons
- Saw four players earn All-NEC laurels (Katherine Haines - First Team, Candice Leatherwood - Second Team, Erin Storck - Third Team, Adrianne Hagood - Third Team), matching an NEC record for most All-Conference players recognized in one season
- Finished with a winning record for the fourth time in six seasons at the helm and recorded the second-highest NEC regular season win total in her time as head coach
2017-18:
- Guided Sacred Heart to a 19th straight NEC Tournament appearance, finishing with a 9-9 league record and 14-17 overall mark
- Earned a trip to the NEC semifinal round for the third straight season with a victory over Bryant in the NEC quarterfinal round before falling to top-seeded St. Francis U on the road in the semis
- Helped develop All-NEC Third Team selection Candice Leatherwood as well as NEC All-Rookie Adrianne Hagood
- One of 20 NCAA Division I head coaches selected to attend WBCA's XCEL Head Coaching Workshop in Columbus, Ohio
2016-17:
- Led the Pioneers to their 18th consecutive NEC postseason appearance, with a 13-5 conference record. The team would go on to fall to Bryant in the NEC semi-finals
- Earned a berth in the WNIT, for the second year in a row, marking the third time in program history the Pioneers would appear in the WNIT
- Developed Katherine Haines into the NEC Most Improved Player in the NEC
- Ended the season with 3 All-NEC Selections (Hannah Kimmel 1st Team, Katherine Haines 2nd Team, and Adaysha Williams 3rd Team) and 1 All-MET selection (Hannah Kimmel 3rd Team)
2015-16:
- Led Sacred Heart to its fourth NEC Regular Season Title with a 16-2 league record, clinching home court advantage throughout the NEC Championship
- Named the 2016 NEC Coach of the Year
- Led the Pioneers to their fifth Northeast Conference championship game, but fell to Robert Morris garnering a bid into the WNIT, the program's second appearance in the tournament
- Developed Alissa Tarsi (All-NEC Second Team) to become the 2016 NEC Most Improved Player
- Helped Hannah Kimmel add a few more highlights to her basketball resume. In her third season, Kimmel was named the NEC Player of the Year, earned All-NEC First Team honors, and was named to the All-Metropolitan Second Team
2014-15:
- Under her leadership, the Pioneers posted a 16-13 record, and finished fourth in the NEC clinching a quarterfinal home game with an 11-7 record against league foes
- The year was highlighted with the program's first ever win over a Big East member with Dec. 20's 72-49 defeat of Villanova
- Helped Hannah Kimmel to her second All-NEC season as the red shirt-junior earned All-NEC First Team accolades
2013-14:
- In her first season with the Pioneers, she led the team to a 12-18 record, including overtime battles with Big East members Villanova and St. John’s, and a sixth-place finish in the Northeast Conference with a 9-9 league record
- On November 16, 2013, she earned her first win as a head coach as the Pioneers defeated Yale University 67-54
- As the sixth seed in the NEC Championship, the Pioneers headed to Saint Francis U for what would be a quarterfinal double-overtime thriller. SHU and the Red Flash combined for 255 points setting a NCAA Division I record for combined scoring.
- Coached three players to All-NEC honors: Gabrielle Washington - All-NEC First Team, Hannah Kimmel - NEC All-Rookie Team, Adaysha Williams - NEC All-Rookie Team
| Year | Overall | Conference | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 12-18 | 9-9 | NEC Quarterfinals |
| 2014-15 | 16-13 | 11-7 | NEC Quarterfinals |
| 2015-16 | 20-13 | 16-2 | WNIT |
| 2016-17 | 17-15 | 13-5 | WNIT |
| 2017-18 | 14-17 | 9-9 | NEC Semifinals |
| 2018-19 | 19-13 | 14-4 | WNIT |
| 2019-20 | 13-17 | 9-9 | NEC Semifinals |
| 2020-21 | 8-10 | 8-8 | |
| 2021-22 | 8-17 | 6-12 | NEC Quarterfinals |
| 2022-23 | 19-14 | 12-4 | NEC Champions NCAA Tournament First-Four Win NCAA First Round |
| 2023-24 | 24-10 | 15-1 | NEC Champions NCAA Tournament First Four |
| 2024-25 | 9-20 | 5-15 | |
| 2025-26 | 13-18 | 10-10 | MAAC Quarterfinals |
| Totals | 192-195 | 137-95 |
