Boston College Fires Women's Basketball Coach

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee's tenure ends after 5 seasons with the Eagles

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Boston College has parted ways with head women's basketball coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, sources told On3. Bernabei-McNamee had been at the helm of the program since 2018 but was unable to guide the team to a winning record in ACC play during her tenure.

Why it matters

Boston College's women's basketball program has struggled in recent years, failing to finish above .500 since 2022. The decision to part ways with Bernabei-McNamee signals the school's desire to find new leadership to turn the program around and compete in the highly competitive ACC conference.

The details

Under Bernabei-McNamee's leadership, the Eagles made one postseason appearance in the 2022 WNIT, reaching the Third Round. However, this season the team is just 5-25 overall with a 1-16 mark in ACC play. Prior to joining Boston College, Bernabei-McNamee had head coaching stints at Albany and NAIA Pikeville, as well as assistant coaching roles at Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland.

  • Bernabei-McNamee has been the head coach at Boston College since 2018.
  • In 2022, the Eagles made the WNIT tournament.
  • This season, Boston College is 5-25 overall and 1-16 in ACC play.

The players

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee

Former head coach of the Boston College women's basketball team who was let go after 5 seasons with the program.

Boston College

NCAA Division I university located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

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What’s next

Boston College will now begin a search for a new head coach to lead the women's basketball program and try to turn the team's fortunes around in the ACC.

The takeaway

Bernabei-McNamee's dismissal underscores the pressure on college basketball coaches to quickly build winning programs, even at the mid-major level. Boston College is hoping a new leader can revive their struggling women's basketball team and return them to postseason contention in the highly competitive ACC.