Mannetti Completes Staff with Two Additions
10/19/2021 10:35:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Haigh hired as assistant coach; Nelson named Director of Basketball Operations
FAIRFIELD, Conn.— Sacred Heart University women's basketball head coach Jessica Mannetti announced the hiring of Joe Haigh as an assistant coach and AnnMarie Nelson as the Director of Basketball Operations.
"I am thrilled to welcome Joe and Ann to our Women's Basketball Staff," said Mannetti. "Joe brings a wealth of experience and proven success in the NEC and I am looking forward to adding his expertise to our program. Ann has impacted our staff already with her energy and enthusiasm and is eager to both learn and take on a wide array of responsibilities as she starts her career at the collegiate level."
Haigh comes to the Pioneers after serving the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at Siena College. During his time on staff, the Saints advanced to the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.
Prior to joining the Saints, Haigh coached at Saint Francis for 10 seasons, during which the Red Flash played in the Northeast Conference championship game six times. The second winningest coach in program history with 93 victories, Haigh led the Red Flash to three national postseason tournament appearances over his six seasons at the helm, including the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Prior to being promoted to head coach in 2012, Haigh served as the top assistant for four seasons at the time that the Red Flash won back-to-back Northeast Conference titles and earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2010 and 2011.
Haigh started working at the Division I level in 2006 as the director of operations at Virginia Commonwealth University. He started his college coaching career at Randolph-Macon College in 2004.
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Haigh coached at the high school and AAU level in Richmond, Virginia and Puyallup, Washington. He played at Green River Community College where he led the team in three-point and free throw percentage. Haigh graduated from Notre Dame in 1995 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and earned a Masters of Science in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2005. His wife Sherri (Orlosky) played basketball for the Fighting Irish.
"It's really cool to come back and coach in the Northeast Conference at Sacred Heart," said Haigh. "I'm extremely appreciative of Coach Mannetti for thinking of me and giving me the opportunity to coach again, and I look forward to helping the women of Sacred Heart win NEC titles again in the near future."
Nelson comes to the Pioneers after serving as an intern with the athletics department at Post University. Prior to that, she interned as a marketing associate at Advanced Sports Media in Long Beach, California.
Nelson's responsibilities will include practice set up and take down, overseeing managers, scheduling trips, plan meals, assist the team with academics and basketball, manage schedules and time limits, and running social media.
Nelson was a dual sport athlete at Post, participating in basketball and volleyball. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management with a minor in marketing in 2020 and MBA in Marketing in 2021.
"I am extremely excited to be working with SHUWBB program this season," said Nelson. "I am very grateful to Coach Mannetti for giving me this opportunity to start a career in college athletics."
Sacred Heart tips off the 2021-22 season at Hartford on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
"I am thrilled to welcome Joe and Ann to our Women's Basketball Staff," said Mannetti. "Joe brings a wealth of experience and proven success in the NEC and I am looking forward to adding his expertise to our program. Ann has impacted our staff already with her energy and enthusiasm and is eager to both learn and take on a wide array of responsibilities as she starts her career at the collegiate level."
Haigh comes to the Pioneers after serving the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach at Siena College. During his time on staff, the Saints advanced to the quarterfinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.
Prior to joining the Saints, Haigh coached at Saint Francis for 10 seasons, during which the Red Flash played in the Northeast Conference championship game six times. The second winningest coach in program history with 93 victories, Haigh led the Red Flash to three national postseason tournament appearances over his six seasons at the helm, including the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Prior to being promoted to head coach in 2012, Haigh served as the top assistant for four seasons at the time that the Red Flash won back-to-back Northeast Conference titles and earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2010 and 2011.
Haigh started working at the Division I level in 2006 as the director of operations at Virginia Commonwealth University. He started his college coaching career at Randolph-Macon College in 2004.
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Haigh coached at the high school and AAU level in Richmond, Virginia and Puyallup, Washington. He played at Green River Community College where he led the team in three-point and free throw percentage. Haigh graduated from Notre Dame in 1995 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and earned a Masters of Science in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2005. His wife Sherri (Orlosky) played basketball for the Fighting Irish.
"It's really cool to come back and coach in the Northeast Conference at Sacred Heart," said Haigh. "I'm extremely appreciative of Coach Mannetti for thinking of me and giving me the opportunity to coach again, and I look forward to helping the women of Sacred Heart win NEC titles again in the near future."
Nelson comes to the Pioneers after serving as an intern with the athletics department at Post University. Prior to that, she interned as a marketing associate at Advanced Sports Media in Long Beach, California.
Nelson's responsibilities will include practice set up and take down, overseeing managers, scheduling trips, plan meals, assist the team with academics and basketball, manage schedules and time limits, and running social media.
Nelson was a dual sport athlete at Post, participating in basketball and volleyball. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management with a minor in marketing in 2020 and MBA in Marketing in 2021.
"I am extremely excited to be working with SHUWBB program this season," said Nelson. "I am very grateful to Coach Mannetti for giving me this opportunity to start a career in college athletics."
Sacred Heart tips off the 2021-22 season at Hartford on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
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