What they're saying about Whitney Edwards
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Whitney Edwards was named the head women’s basketball coach at The College of Saint Rose on June 1, 2020.
Edwards brings a wide breadth of experience to the Golden Knights program. An NCAA Division I standout player, she has coached at all three NCAA levels throughout the past 14 years. She is also a former assistant coach at fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Stonehill College and has successfully recruited the Northeast Region corridor from Ontario to Maryland.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Edwards to the Golden Knight family. Whitney brings a wide range of experience to our program having coached in all three NCAA divisions, including the NE10. A highly respected coach, committed to the overall development of student-athletes on and off the court, Whitney is a passionate teacher of the game, a dynamic recruiter, and will bring tremendous energy and passion for our women’s basketball program. We look forward to competing for and bringing NE10 championships to Saint Rose under her leadership,” said Lori Anctil, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, at the time of her appointment.
Edwards arrived in the Capital Region following a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Northeastern University in Boston. She helped develop three All-Conference performers and had a hand in guiding the program to its first-ever WNIT bid. Her day-to-day responsibilities centered around coaching the guard position and the team’s defensive systems.
Edwards was an assistant coach at her alma mater the University of New Hampshire and SUNY Plattsburgh, in addition to Stonehill, prior to her Northeastern tenure.
She spent 2015-17 on the sidelines at New Hampshire where she helped the Wildcats make a 14-win improvement from her first to second seasons in Durham. Edwards served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and laid the ground work for a talent base that set a single-season program record with 26 wins in 2016-17. The Wildcats also captured the America East regular-season championship and had four players garner All-Conference honors.
Edwards was at Stonehill from 2013-15 where she helped recruit student-athletes from throughout the Northeast that provided the foundation for a program record of 44-15 throughout her tenure. The Skyhawks made two NCAA Tournament appearances during that span and advanced to the 2015 East Region Final. They also captured the NE10 regular-season title, before closing out the year ranked No. 13 in the nation.
Edwards began her coaching career in 2010 at SUNY Plattsburg where she was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2012-13 campaign. She developed a pair of point guards that concluded the 2012-13 season ranked first and third in the SUNYAC in assists average. She also helped organize alumnae relations, co-instructed the C.H.A.M.P.S. life skills initiative, and was the co-advisor for the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
An advocate of lifelong learning, Edwards obtained a master’s degree in leadership from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2015 and completed a second master’s in leadership with a concentration in sport and social change from Northeastern in August of 2020.
She earned her bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in deaf studies in 2007 from New Hampshire, where she was a four-year letter winner and two-time captain of the women's basketball team.
She was named the 2007 America East Defensive Player of the Year and was a member of the America East All-Defensive Team in both her junior and senior seasons. She closed out her stellar career second on the Wildcats' all-time lists in steals (229) and assists (382).
In addition, Edwards is a graduate of the 2021 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #50. The NCAA Women Coaches Academy, hosted in partnership between WeCOACH and the NCAA, is a four-day educational training available to NCAA coaches of all experience levels, and is designed for women coaches who are ready to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
Edwards has also participated in the assistant coaches’ United State Marine Corps Leadership Workshop, held at Parris Island in 2014, and the United States Marine Corps Coaches Leadership Workshop, which took place at the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Virginia in 2016.
Edwards resides in Albany with her fiancé Celia Castro.
What they’re saying about Whitney Edwards:
“I am thrilled for Whitney as she becomes the head coach at Saint Rose. This is a great next step in her coaching career and I believe she will be very successful there. I am appreciative of all the hard work she has committed to building our program at Northeastern.”
Kelly Cole, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Northeastern University
“If my daughter played college sports, I would want her to be coached by someone like Whitney Edwards. She is caring, thoughtful, intelligent, engaging, transparent and emotionally intelligent. Our Northeastern student-athletes have greatly appreciated all of these characteristics in addition to her basketball expertise and ability to teach the game. The future is bright for Saint Rose basketball with Whitney at the helm.”
Regina Sullivan: Deputy Athletics Director, Northeastern University
“I am excited to see Whitney take the reins of the Saint Rose program. She exemplifies hard-work and has an undeniable energy for student-athletes. I believe the connections she will form will pay dividends on the basketball court and in her players’ lives after Saint Rose. I look forward to following the transformation of the Golden Knights women's basketball program under Whitney's leadership.”
Courtney England: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Maine | former Director of Basketball Operations, University of New Hampshire
“I had the pleasure of working with Whitney for just a short eight months, but it felt like a lifetime. I remember we spent weeks during the early part of the season, in and out of the office trying to perfect our defensive scheme at our prior university. The passion she exuded for the game just showed in the moments. Whitney is a true student turned leader of the game. No one is more deserving of a head coaching job than her. I wish her much success in her new endeavor. Congratulations Whitney!”
Ashley Robinson: Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Pennsylvania | former Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach, Northeastern University
“The College of Saint Rose has made a tremendous hire in Whitney Edwards to lead its women’s basketball program into the future. She is a rising star in the collegiate coaching ranks. A student of the game and a passionate leader, she understands the significance and power of relationship building. Her experience coaching in all three divisions coupled with her own success as a highly accomplished D1 student-athlete have prepared her well for this opportunity. I look forward to watching what the Saint Rose women’s basketball team will achieve under her leadership.”
Cheryl Cole: Head Women’s Basketball Coach/Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator; Plattsburgh State
“Saint Rose has made a great hire in Whitney Edwards. Whitney has a great passion for the game and our profession. She is an exceptional motivator, teacher, and mentor. While at Stonehill, Whitney helped develop some incredible players and even better leaders. I am very excited to welcome Whitney back to the Northeast-10."
Trisha Brown, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Stonehill College
