Women's Basketball Mike Ferraro

Brian Giorgis to Serve on Inaugural WBIT Selection Committee

Former Marist Head Women’s Basketball Coach Earns Prestigious Appointment

POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Former Marist head women's basketball coach Brian Giorgis will serve on the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) selection committee, it was announced Tuesday.
 
The selection committee is comprised of eight former head women's basketball coaches and administrators. In addition to Giorgis, the former head coaches on the committee are Ceal Barry (Colorado), Sue Guevara (Central Michigan), Bernadette Locke-Mattox (Kentucky), and Marsha Sharp (Texas Tech). The former administrators serving on the committee are Barbara Burke (Iowa), Kelcey Roegiers (Georgia State), and Janice Ruggiero (New Mexico).
 
Giorgis will serve a two-year term, and he will be eligible for reappointment following his term.
 
"It's a tremendous honor to be asked to be on this committee," Giorgis said. "I look forward to working with some outstanding former coaches and administrators."
 
The WBIT, which is owned and funded by the NCAA, will be contested for the first time in 2024. It will consist of 32 teams. The semifinals and championship will occur on April 1 and 3, respectively, at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. ESPN will be the broadcast partner for the entire championship. Preliminary round games will be carried on ESPN+, the semifinals will be televised on ESPNU, and the championship game will air on ESPN2.
 
Giorgis retired as Marist's head coach following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season after a historic run of 21 years. He won 463 games at Marist with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record 11 championships, which included nine straight from 2006-14. He became the first head coach in MAAC basketball history to reach the Sweet Sixteen in 2007, and he won five NCAA Tournament games in his tenure. He was named MAAC Coach of the Year eight times, and he was honored by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association four times. Giorgis also served as an assistant coach for gold medal recipient Team USA in the 2013 World University Games.
 
Administratively, Giorgis previously served on the Women's Basketball Issues Committee. He was chairman of the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll from 2014-23. In 2009, he was one of 18 head coaches invited to the inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Mock Selection exercise.