Erin Batth named coach of Providence College women's basketball
On the day that Providence College lost one coach, it added another.
Erin Batth has been named head coach of the women's basketball team, PC's director of athletics Steve Napolillo announced on Monday. She becomes the 11th coach in the program’s 49-year history and replaces Jim Crowley, who led the program for seven seasons before both sides agreed to mutually part ways two weeks ago.
Batth, a native of Marietta, Ga., becomes the first Black female head coach in program history and the eighth Black female head coach in the Big East all-time. She and her fiancé, Eric, have a daughter, Sierra.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Erin and her fiancé, Eric, to the Providence College family,” Napolillo said. “Throughout the search process, I was focused on finding a coach that would bring energy, passion and a strategic plan for success to Providence. Erin will help transform the lives of our student-athletes on the court, in the classroom and in their overall development. I look forward to working with Erin as she builds a championship program.”
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Batth comes to Providence with 17 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. She spent the 2022-23 season at Michigan, where she served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Batth helped guide Michigan to its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolverines claimed a No. 6 seed in the tournament, after finishing the season with a 23-10 overall record (11-7 Big Ten). They were ranked in the national polls for 19 consecutive weeks, as high as No. 12. Michigan advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to ninth-ranked and No. 3 seed LSU, 66-42, on March 19.
Batth spent four seasons at NC State (2018-22), helping the Wolfpack to three-straight ACC Tournament titles for the first time in program history. In her four seasons, NC State compiled a 110-17 record, reached the NCAA Sweet 16 three times and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2022. Prior to that, Batth was an assistant coach at Liberty (2017-18), Georgia State (2014-17), Tennessee Tech (2012-14) and Towson (2010-12) as an assistant coach. She was the director of operations at Virginia for three seasons (2007-10) after spending the 2006-07 season as an executive assistant to the general manager and operations specialist for both the NBA's Sacramento Kings and the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at VCU in 2004-05.
“I am humbled and excited to lead Providence College women’s basketball,” Batth said. “I want to thank Steve Napolillo, Jill LaPoint and the rest of the Providence Friar family for this opportunity. I’m thrilled to be a Friar and confident that we will build a program that the community is proud of and excited to support. The sky is the limit on what can be accomplished at Providence.” Batth played collegiately at Clemson and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in management. She earned second-team Defensive All-America honors and All-ACC second-team honors during her career. As a senior, she averaged 12.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and finished her impressive four-year career with 972 points, 722 rebounds and 116 blocked shots. She helped the Tigers to four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and helped Clemson advance to the Sweet 16 in 1999. Batth was the first player from Clemson drafted into the WNBA, going to the Cleveland Rockers in 2001. She played professionally with Panithnaikos and Appollon (in Greece) and Migros (in Turkey).
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball names Erin Batth as women's coach
