Joe Haigh enters his seventh season as the head coach of the Saint Francis U women's basketball team in 2018-19. It is his 11th season on the staff in Loretto.
In 2017-18, Haigh guided the Red Flash to its first NEC title since the 2010-11 season and 12th overall after defeating Robert Morris 66-56 in the Northeast Conference title game. The Red Flash went 16-2 in Northeast Conference play, their best conference record since the 2004-05 season. The Red Flash set a new mark for margin of victory within the NEC, winning by an average of 17.9 points per game, highest in the last 20 seasons.
During the non-conference season, the Red Flash defeated Cincinnati 77-73, marking the second-straight season the Red Flash have defeated an opponent from a major conference. Additionally, Saint Francis completed the second-largest comeback in NCAA history, erasing a 29-point deficit in a win at Portland. The Red Flash were down 66-37 to the Pilots mid-way through the third quarter and sent the game to overtime tied at 83. Saint Francis would prevail 106-101 in overtime to complete the historic comeback.
The Red Flash's 24 wins are the most since 25 in the 2003-04 NEC title season. SFU's final RPI ranking of 93 was the third highest in program history.
Under Haigh's guidance, Jessica Kovatch continued to roll through the NEC and SFU record books. Kovatch was named the NEC and ECAC Player of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP. Kovatch broke the NEC record for threes in a game (11) and in a tournament game (11) against Fairleigh Dickinson in the NEC quarterfinal. Kovatch finished second in the nation in scoring (24.9 ppg) and total points (831). She set the NCAA record for threes in a season, draining 141 threes, shattering the previous high of 129. She also became the fourth player in SFU history to cross 2,000 points, doing so in a victory at Bryant on February 26, 2018.
Haigh also led Ace Harrison to her second-straight NEC Defensive Player of the Year Award. Harrison ranked in the top-five in the NEC in rebounds, steals and blocks.
The Flash scored the most points in program history in 2017-18, racking up 2719 points for an average of 80 points a night, a mark that was top-20 in the NCAA. SFU's 353 made three pointers ranked fourth in the Nation. Defensively, the Red Flash ranked second in the Nation in steals with 431, an average of nearly 13 per game.
In 2016-17, Haigh guided the Red Flash to their first post-season win in school history, besting Campbell 78-67 in the Women's Basketball Invitational first round. In the regular season, the Haigh led SFU to a 13-5 record in the Northeast Conference, tying for second-place in the regular season. The 13 regular-season NEC wins matched the school's best NEC record in the last 12 seasons.
The regular season started with a B1G 103-100 win over Wisconsin in Madison, marking the first road win over a Power-5 team for the Red Flash in school history. It was the start to a historic season for Coach Haigh and the Red Flash. They finished in the top-10 in three NCAA categories, including finishing second in the nation in threes per game (10.9) and blocks per game (6.9) while finishing third in pace (82.9 possessions per game) and seventh in the NCAA with 11.9 steals per game.
The record-setting also extended to individual records in 2016-17. Under Haigh's guidance, Jessica Kovatch matched her stellar freshman season with a record-breaking sophomore campaign. Kovatch drained 110 three pointers, most in a single-season in school history. During her sophomore season, Kovatch surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her career, doing so in 47 games as she became one of just 25 players to reach the mark in 47 games or fewer. Fellow sophomore Courtney Zezza smashed the single-season blocks record, recording 110 in her second-season in Loretto, good for top-10 in the NCAA. Ace Harrison, a graduate transfer from Maryland, led the team in steals with 99, good for top-10 in the nation. She recorded an NCAA-season best 11 thefts in a win over Central Connecticut, Harrison was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Harrison's Defensive Player of the Year honor was one of four Northeast Conference Awards that SFU took home. Harrison also earned First-Team All-NEC honors joining Jessica Kovatch on the First Team. Senior guard Katie Reese was named to the All-NEC Third Team and an invite to the Pro Hoops Combine prior to the WNBA Draft.
In 2015-16, Haigh coached freshman Jessica Kovatch to one of the finest freshman seasons in the NCAA. The Phillipsburg, New Jersey native led the NCAA in freshman scoring at 20.9 points per game and set an NEC freshman scoring record with 615 points in the regular season. Kovatch won an unprecedented 11-straight NEC Rookie of the Week Awards and 13 total en route to being named the Northeast Conference's Rookie of the Year and second-team All-NEC. Kovatch also earned the Eastern College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Award, the ECAC is a collection of 88 Division-I schools in the eastern United States.
In addition to Kovatch's accolades, Haigh led the Red Flash to an 11-win conference season after infusing four new starters into the starting lineup. Saint Francis welcomed Halee Adams, Jess Kovatch, Katie Reese and graduate transfer Brielle Ward as starters. Haigh coached the Red Flash to the school's 17th appearance in the NEC semi-finals, the most in NEC history. During the season, Saint Francis reached a conference milestone as they became the first team in the Northeast Conference to reach 300 NEC victories with a 62-54 victory over rival Robert Morris. Haigh also saw senior guard Aisha Brock become the 24th player in SFU history to reach 1,000 points, as she closed her four-years in Loretto with 1,003 points.
Under Haigh’s guidance in 2014-15, senior Alexa Hayward emerged as one of the best scorers in Northeast Conference history. In 2014-15, she finished fourth in the NCAA in scoring at 23.3 points per game and she made 82 three-pointers, which led the league. Hayward was named a Senior CLASS Award First Team All-America selection. She leaves Saint Francis U ranked fourth all-time in scoring at 1,779 career points. Hayward also graduates as the all-time leader in 3-pointers made (300) and attempted (946). She was also invited to the exclusive WNBA ProHoops combine after the season. That marks the second consecutive season SFU has had a representative at the combine held at the NCAA Final Four. Haigh also coached freshman Maya Wynn to an All-NEC Rookie Team selection during the season.
Haigh’s team advanced to its second consecutive Northeast Conference Championship game under his guidance in 2013-14. It was SFU’s 16th trip to its conference title game in 21 seasons, a mark that ranked second in the country to only Connecticut (20).
In addition, Haigh saw his players surpass significant milestones during the 2013-14 campaign as Alli Williams became just the 11th player in NCAA women’s basketball history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 300 steals. Williams also earned her second straight All-NEC First Team Selection and second consecutive CoSIDA Academic All-America selection. Alexa Hayward emerged into one of the top scorers in the entire NEC as the junior averaged 17.3 points per game and became the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Combined with Williams league-leading 25.3 points per game, the two stars ranked in the top-ten in the country in scoring duos.
Haigh saw his team play very well down the stretch as they earned a 15th trip to the Northeast Conference Championship game in 2012-13. The Red Flash also earned an invitation to play in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI), which was the program's first appearance in a postseason tournament that wasn't the NCAA Tournament.
Haigh also coached junior forward Alli Williams during one of the most impressive individual season's in SFU women's basketball history. Williams earned Capital One Academic All-America honors as well as All-NEC first team honors. Williams was second in the league in scoring (17.0 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (10.7 rpg). Williams also recorded her 1,000th career point in January.
At the recommendation of the search committee, Saint Francis University President Rev. Gabriel Zeis, T.O.R. named Joe Haigh the head coach of the Red Flash women's basketball program on April 26, 2012. Haigh, who spent the previous four seasons as the top assistant on former coach Susan Robinson Fruchtl's staff, became the seventh head coach in the program's 45-year history.
The Red Flash reclaimed its status as a small-college dynasty during Haigh's time in Loretto, compiling an impressive 47-25 record against Northeast Conference opponents over the past four seasons. In 2009-10 and 2010-11, the Flash earned its two most recent NEC titles and NCAA Tournament berths. A 14-year coaching veteran at the collegiate, high school and club levels, Haigh worked primarily with wing players under Robinson Fruchtl and also served as recruiting coordinator.
A new locker room suite compliments a state-of-the-art weight room and a recently completed basketball office suite. The upgrades have added to the program's ability to attract student-athletes that embody the program's commitment to faith, academics, values and winning basketball.
Prior to his arrival in Loretto, he spent two years (2006-08) handling the daily administrative duties as the Director of Basketball Operations at Virginia Commonwealth University, which included coordinating and planning all basketball summer team and skills camps, team travel, as well as overseeing film exchange, the recruiting database, academic affairs and video editing.
From 2005 to 2006, Haigh was a business teacher at Patrick Henry High School (Ashland, Va.) and coached the junior varsity boys' basketball team at tradition-rich Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va.
He served as an assistant at Randolph-Macon College for the men's basketball program under Mike Rhoades during the 2004-05 season when the Yellow Jackets won their fourth-consecutive regular season league championship.
Haigh also was an assistant coach for the 16U and 17U boys AAU programs in Richmond, Va. during the 2005 and 2006 summers, and was an assistant at Thomas Jefferson High School (Auburn, Wash.) in the 2003-04 season. In addition to his season at Benedictine High School, Haigh was also a head coach for the Puyallup Bulls/Irish (Puyallup, Wash.) AAU basketball team from 1997 to 2002.
As a player, he led the Green River Community College (Auburn, Wash.) squad in three-point and free throw percentage in 1991-92.
A native of Puyallup, Wash., Haigh received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Notre Dame in 1995, and his Masters of Science in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2005. He also earned his teaching license through the University of Virginia in May 2006.
Haigh's wife, Sherri (Orlosky), played basketball for four years at the University of Notre Dame, and is ranked in the top ten all time in three-point and free throw percentage. Joe and Sherri reside in Loretto with their five children: Anna, Teresa, Patrick, Daniel, and Mary.
Joe Haigh File
| Head Coaching Record |
| Year |
Conf. Record |
Postseason |
| 2017-18 |
16-2 |
NEC Champions...NCAA 1st Round |
| 2016-17 |
13-5 |
NEC Tournament...WBI 2nd Round |
| 2015-16 |
11-7 |
NEC Tournament Semifinal |
| 2014-15 |
5-13 |
|
| 2013-14 |
11-7 |
NEC Tournament Finalist |
| 2012-13 |
10-8 |
NEC Tournament Finalist, WBI Tourn. |
| Asst Coaching Record |
| 2011-12 |
11-7 |
NEC Tournament First Round |
| 2010-11 |
14-4 |
NEC Champions, NCAA Tournament |
| 2009-10 |
11-7 |
NEC Champions, NCAA Tournament |
| 2008-09 |
11-7 |
NEC Tournament Finalist |
| Total |
113-67 (.628) |
|
