Joanna Bernabei
August 25, 2008 05:44 PM | General
Assistant Coach
Joanna.Bernabei@mail.wvu.edu
(304) 293-3508
A Weirton, W.Va., native, Joanna Bernabei begins her second stint as an assistant coach with the Mountaineers, having served in the same capacity from 2001-03.
She returns to WVU after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Maryland from 2003-07. She helped the Terrapins win the 2005-06 national championship and make four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Maryland’s recruiting classes during her last three seasons were each ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
In addition to recruiting at Maryland, Bernabei was also responsible for on-the-floor coaching, opponent scouting and offensive and defensive game strategy.
Prior to her first stint with WVU, Bernabei spent two seasons as an assistant at Eastern Kentucky from 1999-2001. In 1998, she served as head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan, compiling an 18-9 record and a third-place finish in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). While at Wesleyan, she served as the school’s senior women’s administrator.
Bernabei attended West Liberty State where she was an All-American and a four-time, first-team All-WVIAC as a point guard. Named the 1997 WVIAC Player of the Year, she currently holds the NCAA Division II career assists record of 1,107 and the record for most assists in a single game at 24 against West Virginia State (Feb. 8, 1997). She is one of just a handful of players to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career. She finished her career with 1,317 total points.
She also holds the NCAA record for assists average per game (9.5) and the school and conference records for assists in a game, season (293) and career. She led her team to an 80-36 record during her four years and is listed on West Liberty’s top 20 All-Time Best Athlete list. She is the first woman to be named First-Team All-WVIAC for four years and was West Virginia’s 1993 high school Player of the Year. She was inducted into the West Liberty Hall of Fame in 2002.
Bernabei earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from West Liberty in 1997 and her master’s degree from Eastern Kentucky in physical education in 1999.
She is married to former Mountaineer baseball standout (1996-98) and Bridgeport, W.Va., native Joe McNamee. The couple has two children, Luke and Caden. They reside in Morgantown.
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