Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach, Women's Basketball
- Phone:
- 412-648-8360
| TORY VERDI'S TROPHY CASE | |||
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Tory Verdi (pronounced Ver - dee) was announced as the University of Pittsburgh’s 10th women's basketball coach on April 7, 2023. In 14 seasons as an NCAA Division I head coach, Verdi has compiled a 224-197 ledger entering the 2025-26 campaign, including stops at Columbia (2004-05), Eastern Michigan (2012-2016), UMass (2016-23) and Pitt (2023-current).
During the 2024-25 campaign, Pitt recorded its highest win total (13) since the 2016-17 season and the second-most ACC wins (5) since joining the league. Verdi coached Khadija Faye to All-ACC First Team accolades as she led the ACC in double-doubles (16), while being the first ACC player since 1987-88 to average at least 19.2 PPG, 10.2 RPG and 2.4 BPG in the regular season.
In his first year guiding the Panthers (2023-24), Verdi developed the ACC’s Most Improved Player, Liatu King into one of the premier players across the league. Under Verdi, King saw improvements in nearly every statistical category en route to also garnering All-ACC First Team honors.
Prior to arriving at Pitt, Verdi spent the previous seven seasons at Massachusetts where he helped lead the Minutewomen to 128 wins. Verdi guided the program to new heights as it secured its first regular season Atlantic 10 title in 2022-23 after earning the program’s first Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2021-22.
With a wealth of experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, Verdi-coached teams have advanced to postseason play in 17 of the past 24 seasons. Over his seven years in Amherst, Mass., Verdi turned Massachusetts women’s basketball into a consistent contender in the A-10 and beyond, returning the program to heights not seen since the 1990s.
The 2022-23 season turned into one of the most successful campaigns in program history as the Minutewomen posted a 27-7 overall record and a 14-2 A-10 mark, while qualifying for the WNIT and advancing to the second round for just the third time in program history. The potent offensive attack posted the highest scoring average (76.2 ppg) since the 1979-80 season and marked the third straight season it led the A-10 in scoring offense. The offense was led by Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, Sam Breen, who earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor and connecting on 46 three-pointers.
The 2021-22 season shattered glass ceilings and broke records, as the program garnered its first Atlantic 10 Championship title to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first appearance since 1998. On March 5, 2022, UMass stopped Saint Joseph’s for Verdi’s 100th win at the helm of Massachusetts to advance to the A-10 Finals. The No. 3-seeded Minutewomen defeated No. 1 seed Dayton in the title game to hoist the A-10 trophy.
Throughout the season, UMass made history receiving votes in a national poll for the first time since the 1994-95 season and earned votes five times during the year. Individually, Massachusetts saw Samantha Breen and Destiney Philoxy become the 21st and 22nd Minutewomen to eclipse the 1,000th career point each. Both Philoxy and Breen played in their 100th career games that year, as well.
Capped by a berth in the WNIT, the 2020-21 season was one to remember with the program’s first national postseason appearance since 1998, in addition to the first trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship Game since ‘98. On March 22, 2021, UMass defeated Ohio in the WNIT Consolation Final, securing Verdi’s 150th career victory as a collegiate head coach. On that special day, UMass also made history garnering multiple postseason wins for the first time.
The 2019-20 season featured a slew of team and individual superlatives. UMass tied a program record with 20 wins, set a new top mark with an 11-game winning streak and finished tied for fourth place in the A-10, the highest under the league’s current format. Massachusetts hosted, and won, an A-10 Tournament game at the Mullins Center for the first time since 1998, en route to the league Quarterfinals.
Verdi’s Minutewomen made tremendous strides during his first two seasons (2016-17, 2017-18), garnering a pair of A-10 All Rookie selections and Hailey Leidel’s Rookie of the Year nod in 2017. Maggie Mulligan was one of the league’s most improved players during that time with 33 double-doubles.
Prior to Verdi’s arrival in Amherst, he accumulated a head coaching record of 72-61 across four seasons at Eastern Michigan. His teams advanced to the 2015 and 2016 WNIT, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance, and the Mid-American Conference Championship Game in 2015.
Arriving at EMU for the 2012-13 campaign, he took an 8-22 squad to a record of 24-13 in 2014-15 and 22-12 in 2015-16. He also secured the MAC's No. 1 recruiting class twice during his tenure.
Under Verdi, the 2015-16 MAC West Division preseason favorite Eagles made their mark in the EMU record books. Defensively, the team totaled the fourth-most rebounds in a single season (1,364), while also ranking seventh all-time in blocks (92) and third in steals (386).
EMU's high-tempo offense poured in 2,445 points, the third-most in a single season in school history, along with dishing out 435 assists, good for seventh-most. Additionally, the Eagles converted 218 three-pointers, ranking fourth all-time and marking the third consecutive season in which EMU made 200 or more triples.
A large part of Verdi's 2014-15 record-setting performance came from the Eagles late run during the regular season and into postseason play. EMU finished the regular season with wins in its final four games, while also winning seven of its last eight. The Eagles appeared in eight postseason games, winning six of them. The Eagles advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship, winning four-of-five MAC Tournament games, before advancing to the Sweet 16 of the 2015 WNIT. The Eagles rewrote the EMU record book with 124 different all-time top performances, including the most points in a season (2,549), field goals made (936), rebounds (1,539) and three-pointers made (223).
Verdi spent two seasons as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Kansas (2010-11, 2011-12). The Jayhawks advanced to the 2012 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and the 2011 WNIT Second Round.
Prior to his arrival in Lawrence, Verdi was an assistant coach at Nebraska for five seasons (2005-10). The Huskers advanced to the postseason every year Verdi served on staff in Lincoln and collected the Big 12 Regular-Season Championship in 2009-10 with a 16-0 conference record. History was made that season as the Huskers secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen.
Verdi spent three seasons on staff with the WNBA's Connecticut Sun (2003-05), reaching the postseason during each year and winning the Eastern Conference in 2005.
In 2004-05, Columbia tabbed Verdi the top assistant and eventual interim head coach.
Verdi was inducted into the New Britain Sports Hall of Fame on April 24, 2016.
He graduated from Keene State in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Following that, he completed his master’s degree in computer technology from Hartford in 2003.
The Tory Verdi File
Hometown: New Britain, Connecticut
Alma Mater: Keene State [1996]
Wife: Heather Verdi
Children: Tyler, Avery and Bradyn
| YEARS | SCHOOL | POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-present | Pitt | Head Coach |
| 2016-23 | UMass | Head Coach |
| 2012-16 | Eastern Michigan | Head Coach |
| 2010-12 | Kansas | Assistant Coach |
| 2005-10 | Nebraska | Assistant Coach |
| 2004-05 | Columbia | Assistant Coach/Interim Head Coach |
| 2003-05 | Connecticut Sun | Assistant Coach |
