"Coaching Sports, Life and Faith"

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Theresa Grentz (b. March 24, 1952), from Glenolden, Pennsylvania, is the former head coach of the women's basketball program at the University of Illinois and at Rutgers University and St. Josephs. She is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Her career record is 671-309 and she served as a head coach for 32 years, with the last 13 as the Illinois head coach. She was the Olympic head coach in 1992; the team captured the Bronze medal in Barcelona. She is 10th all time in women's NCAA basketball in wins, and only had two losing seasons in her 32 years of coaching basketball.

On April 17th 2007, Grentz announced her resignation from Illinois to pursue other career opportunities.

Grentz was an honor initiate into the University of Illinois Theta chapter of Sigma Kappa Sorority. She herself was an alumna of Immaculata College, where her playing for the Mighty Macs led to three straight AIAW National Championships from 1972 to 1974.

Grentz coached future New York Liberty player Sue Wicks at Rutgers, where she became the first full-time women's basketball head coach in the nation. She led Rutgers to nine straight postseason appearances and a 434-150 (.743) record during her tenure and won the 1982 AIAW National Championship.

University of Illinois
When Coach Grentz arrived after being hired at Illinois in 1995, the team was not a good program. She produced a Big Ten championship in 1997, two Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA championship and seemed to put the team back on track. The team achieved back-to-back 20-win seasons for the second time in Illini history. Grentz was honored as Big Ten Coach of the Year and WBCA District Coach of the Year in both 1997 and 1998. In 1997 the AP and USA Today polls ranked the Illini as #5 in the nation, a first for the program. Under her reign, Angelina Williams became the highest Illini WNBA draft pick in 2005. Other players drafted include Cindy Dallas, now sidelined by injuries, in 2004, and Tauja Catchings, sister of WNBA player Tamika Catchings, who was drafted into the WNBA and now plays professionally in Sweden.

Grentz and her husband, Karl, have two sons, Karl and Kevin.

Some of her accomplishments include:
    * 30 years as a women's collegiate head basketball coach
    * Ranks sixth in women's basketball wins on the NCAA's all time list
    * First full time women's basketball head coach in the country - Rutgers 1976
    * Coached at Rutgers 19 seasons
    * Led the Lady Knights to 434-150 record (.743) winning percentage
    * Won at least 20 games 14 times
    * Coached Rutgers to nine consecutive postseason NCAA Tournament           appearances
    * Her Lady Knights teams won six Atlantic 10 regular season titles
    * Won four Atlantic 10 tournament titles
    * Coached Lady Knights to 156-28 (.848) winning percentage in Atlantic 10     conference play
    * Named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year four times
    * Inducted into the NIKE Hall of Fame - 1992
    * Earned Kodak District II Coach of the Year twice - 1992-93' & 1987-88'
    * Named March of Dimes Coach of the Year - 1990-91
    * 1986-87' team set a school record, going 30-3 (.909) winning percentage
    * Earned Converse National Coach of the Year award - following the 1986-87'     season
    * Named Newark Star Ledger Coach of the Year - 1985-86'
    * Won AIAW (forerunner to NCAA) National Championship - 1982
    * Lady Knights only unranked team ever to defeat #1 AP ranked team - 1993-94'
    * Led the 1992 U.S. Olympic team to a bronze medal in Barcelona
    * Coached six U.S. National Teams - winning three gold medals and one silver
    * Eighth coach in NCAA women's basketball history to reach 600 victory plateau
    * Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001
    * Holds the record for most wins in Illinois University history
    * Coached IU to seven straight post-season tournaments - five NCAAs and two     WNITs
    * Won the only Big Ten title in IU's history
    * Attendance increased by 700 percent since her arrival
    * Named Big Ten Coach of the Year consecutive years - 1997 & 1998
    * Consecutive Kodak District IV Coach of the Year awards - 1997 & 1998
    * IBCA Coach of the Year - 1997

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