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When college basketball fans rattle off the great coaches in the women's game the usual suspects are present Geno Auriemma of UConn, Pat Summitt of Tennessee and C. Vivian Stringer of Rutgers just to name a few. But there is one standout that often gets over looked but no longer as she has built a program from the ground up and continues to pave the way for the Red Storm.
St. John's women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico has won 169 games as a Red Storm coach. She was previously tied with Joe Mullaney Jr. The accomplishment came when the Red Storm defeated Big East foe #17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 61-52 Sunday evening. The Red Storm extend their winning streak to four games
Barnes Arico is in her 10th season in Queens and has done a masterful job taking this team to the NCAA tournament 3 times, 4-20 win seasons, 3 NIT appearances and 8 trips to the Big East tournament. The Montclair St. alum was not taking over a powerhouse as the team went 3-24 overall and 0-16 in the Big East the year before she took the job. They also won three Big East games in two years prior to her arrival.
There are instances when coaches get caught up in recruiting violations or try to win at all costs and allow outside influences to interfere with the team. In a New York Times article two years ago Coach Auriemma said “Sometimes, A.A.U. coaches hold the college coach hostage, and it seems to happen a lot in New York City for some reason. Once you get married to them, you’re at their mercy. Kim’s solid enough that it’s never a question.”
Barnes Arico knew that one of her biggest goals for competing in the Big East and nationally was keeping talent in the area from going elsewhere. Keeping players such as Angela Clark, Kia Wright and Sky Lindsay of Christ the King to play for the Red Storm. In Clark and Wright Barnes Arico had two players that were the building blocks to a program on the rise.
On February 4, 2012 Barnes Arico coached in her 300th game against the South Florida Bulls. Her overall career record is 262-204 and 169-132 at St. John's.
From The Sports Mind Of RB:
Kim Barnes Arico is one of the best kept secrets in coaching. My fellow blogger Jaden Daly and I covered St. Johns while we attended the school and saw just how great of a coach she is. I will never forget the year she lost Angela Clark and Kia Wright for most of the season. Most coaches might have been befuddled but not coach Barnes Arico as she used it as a time to bring the young players along and one of those players was standout Monique McLean.
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