Brian Giorgis, the winningest coach in Marist basketball history, will retire after the 2022-23 season (next year) comes to an end.
Erin Doughty, the associate head coach who has been by Giorgis’ side as both a player and coach since 2002, will take over on Apr. 1, 2023.
Giorgis’s contract was set to come to an end after this season, but the legendary head coach will roam the sidelines for one more year.
“It’s been an incredible ride, but it’s time,” Giorgis said in a press release from Marist Athletics. “As sad as I am to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am extremely excited for the future of Marist women’s basketball. Marist could not have made a better choice than Coach Erin Doughty to continue the legacy of Marist women’s basketball. She brings the enthusiasm, knowledge, and spirit of what the program has been about for the last 20 years, and I am confident that Erin can bring the program to even greater heights. I thank Tim Murray, Deb DiCaprio, Dennis Murray, and Kevin Weinman for one of the most incredible journeys that a coach could ever have, and I thank them for having the vision to see that Coach Doughty can take the program even further.”
The 66-year-old is nearing the end of his 20th and most challenging season at the helm for the Red Foxes. Marist currently sits at 8-18 and is on track for its worst season under Giorgis after a campaign riddled with injuries.
Giorgis’ career record in college sits at 451-181. His resume includes 11 MAAC Tournament Championships, five wins in the NCAA Tournament, and a 292-74 mark in conference play.
Fittingly enough, Giorgis won 451 games at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie along with nine New York State Championships.
Doughty walked on during Giorgis’ first season and sacrificed her senior season to become a graduate assistant. She has been on the coaching staff for all five of Marist’s NCAA Tournament wins, including the Sweet 16 run in 2007.
Doughty became the program’s associate head coach in 2018 and coached her first game in January of this year at Saint Peter’s.
“It has been a great privilege and honor to play for, learn from, and coach with Coach Giorgis during his 20 years at Marist,” Doughty said in the press release. “He has created a tradition and legacy that is second to none, and one that I am forever grateful to be a part of. I feel extremely lucky to have learned from one of the very best, and extremely humbled to be chosen as the next head coach of Marist women’s basketball. I am excited for this next challenge and grateful for the support of Coach Giorgis, Tim Murray, Deb DiCaprio, Geoff Brackett, and Kevin Weinman. Red Fox Nation, you will get my very best and I look forward to continuing to carry on the great tradition built by Coach Giorgis.”
Giorgis and Doughty will speak at a press conference at 10 a.m. before travelling to face Monmouth on Wednesday.
Edited by Ricardo Martinez
Photo from Marist Athletics
