WNBA champion Janel McCarville returning to alma mater as new girls basketball coach at SPASH
STEVENS POINT – Janel McCarville is returning to her alma mater as the new varsity girls basketball coach at Stevens Point Area Senior High, the school announced Tuesday.
McCarville, a 2001 graduate of SPASH, was a multisport athlete in high school, playing basketball and soccer. She led the Panthers girls basketball team to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament in 2001.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be the next head girls basketball coach at SPASH,” McCarville said in a news release. “To be part of this rich tradition and culture as a coach now is truly humbling. I look forward to working with all the student-athletes, SPASH coaches, teachers, administration and community members that are all involved in making Stevens Point an incredible place to play girls basketball.”
McCarville replaces Kraig Terpstra, who resigned April 19 after 18 years as head coach of the Panthers. Terpstra, the winningest coach in program history, had 255 victories and his teams won seven Wisconsin Valley Conference titles and made eight sectional appearances.
“We are fortunate to have Janel ready and willing to lead this program,” SPASH athletic director Dave Hauser said. “Her time in the SPASH program and her familiarity with SPASH and the Stevens Point community make this addition to our coaching staff and program very special.
“Coach McCarville’s experiences as both a player and a coach will be invaluable to our student-athletes. In addition, she brings a passion for the sport and a desire to continue to build and maintain the expectations not only of this program but the overall athletic program. We are thrilled that she is willing to share that with our student-athletes.”
After graduating from SPASH, McCarville moved on to the University of Minnesota to continue her basketball career. As a member of the Golden Gophers women’s basketball team she became the first player in program history to play in the NCAA Tournament during each of her four years. She started all four years during her time with the Gophers.
She finished her Minnesota career in the top five of every major statistical category, including points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. McCarville holds the NCAA Tournament record for most rebounds in the tournament, with 75 in five games. She also holds the NCAA Tournament rebound average record, with 15 per game.
McCarville was drafted in the first round of the 2005 WNBA draft with the first pick overall by the Charlotte Sting and started her professional playing career. She won a WNBA championship in the 2013-14 season with the Minnesota Lynx.
She also played professionally in the Euro League on teams from Slovakia, Russia, Poland, Turkey, China, Italy and Sweden. She was a Euro League champion in 2010 with the Women’s Basketball Club Sparta&K of Russia.
She lived in Sweden from 2015 through 2021, playing on the AIK Basket Solna team for two years and then the Alviks BK team. While playing for Alviks team, she was also the assistant coach for her women’s team and the men’s team as well as working with local youth basketball programs. In December 2021, she became the head coach of the women’s team and continued to play on the team.
In the fall of 2022, McCarville moved back to Wisconsin and joined the SPASH basketball coaching staff as the junior varsity coach.
This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Janel McCarville is Stevens Point high school girls basketball coach
