MEET THE NEW BOSS: Lauren Gosselin, right, displays a jersey presented to her by Princeton Director of Athletics John Mack last Thursday as she was introduced as the 11th head coach of Princeton University women’s basketball in a ceremony at Jadwin Gym. In the wake of previous head coach Carla Berube leaving Princeton to guide the Northwestern program, Tiger assistant coach Gosselin was promoted to the head coach role. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
By Bill Alden
As Lauren Gosselin was introduced as the 11th head coach of Princeton University women’s basketball last Thursday in a ceremony at Jadwin Gym, she wasn’t shying away from the challenge of succeeding Carla Berube.
“I know I have big shoes to fill but luckily Carla and I are the same size,” said Gosselin, who has served as an assistant coach at Princeton for the last seven years under Berube before she left to take the helm of the Northwestern women’s program. “I am fortunate that she left a few pairs from her collection upstairs for me and I promise to wear them well.”
Arriving at Princeton with Berube after joining her staff at Tufts University for one season, Gosselin showed promise as she rose to associate head coach for the Tigers. In six seasons played with Gosselin on staff, Princeton has won five Ivy League championships, going 147-29 overall (.835) along with a 77-7 mark (.916) in Ivy play during regular season play. This past season the Tigers went 26-4 overall, winning both the Ivy regular season and tournament titles.
Before her time at Tufts, Gosselin was a graduate assistant at Boston College while securing her master’s degree in Leadership and Administration. Before BC, Gosselin was at the NCAA office in a postgraduate internship program, helping the women’s basketball staff with the NCAA Tournament and Final Four.
Gosselin graduated from Bentley University in 2014. She was a four-year starter, three-time All-American, and two-year team captain for the nationally ranked Falcons. Her senior year was spectacular as she led the team to the Division II national title with an undefeated 35-0 season.
She graduated as the all-time leading scorer in Bentley history, tallying more than 2,100 points. Gosselin also excelled in the classroom, graduating summa cum laude with a degree in marketing and minor in finance.
Noting that Princeton conducted a nationwide search for a successor to Berube, Tiger Director of Athletics John Mack concluded that the best choice for the job was around the corner from his office.
“We went around the nation and ended up down the hallway back here at Jadwin,” said Mack at the ceremony. “I could not be more thrilled to have Lauren stepping in as our next head coach. I have been privileged to get to know her over the past five years, not just as a coach but as a leader, as a thinker as a wife and mother, getting to know Andrew (Gosselin’s husband) and Lucas (her son), and getting to envision her in this role. She has been leader, she has been a mentor to so many and a champion in every sense of the word.”
In a video statement played during the ceremony, Berube lauded the choice of Gosselin as her successor.
“The Tigers are in such great hands with you,” said Berube. “From our time at Tufts to our time at Princeton, you are more than ready for this next step from your player development to your care for your student athletes, and the way that you work with people across campus. The entire Princeton community is going to absolutely love you. I am excited to watch you win more championships and NCAA games.”
The Princeton players made an immediate appeal to Mack after learning that Berube was leaving.
“The student athletes have such a respect for her, right after we told them that Carla was leaving, within an hour I had a number of student athletes in my office saying Lauren needs to be our next head coach,” said Mack. “It was not just because they like her but they actually spoke to specific character traits as a leader as a coach. They talked about her interpersonal relationships, her communication style that really showed and demonstrated how much she cared for them. They also talked about the times when she had to be really tough. It is rare for student athletes to appreciate when a coach has to hold the line and has to hold them accountable.”
In her remarks, Gosselin addressed the Tiger players on hand in the audience.
“To my players, thank you for your belief in me, for your trust and the way you represent this program,” said Gosselin. “It has been such an honor to work with you guys and I am excited to continue building something special together. My commitment to you guys is two-fold. One, that I create an environment where you can thrive on the court, in the classroom and in life. And, two, that I will be committed to my own growth and development as much as I am to yours. I don’t promise to be perfect but I promise to give you my very best so that we can be our very best.”
In addition, Gosselin promised to build on the program’s upbeat culture.
“As we enter the next era of Princeton women’s basketball, the standard doesn’t change,” said Gosselin. “Having been part of this program for the past seven years, I have had a front row seat to what makes Princeton women’s basketball so special. I have always believed that winning is a byproduct of doing things the right way with the right people. It certainly starts with the people here but it spreads to our culture, one that is built on selflessness, toughness, trust, and a genuine commitment to one another. That foundation is already strong built by the incredible alumni who have poured their blood, sweat and tears on to this court and it will continue to define who we are.”
Gosselin is committed to maintaining the program’s winning tradition which has seen it win 13 Ivy titles in the last 20 years.
“As we move forward, our vision is clear, we will continue to compete for and win championships,” said Gosselin. “We will play a brand of basketball that reflects our toughness, our discipline and our togetherness while developing into confident, resilient and empowered young women who are prepared for success long after graduation. We will do it all in a way that stays true to what makes Princeton unique. We are not trying to be anyone else, we are embracing exactly who we are. In a collegiate world that is becoming increasingly transactional, Princeton remains transformational.”
In making the jump to head coach, Gosselin will be making a personal transformation.
“It certainly will be a transition, I think the biggest thing is shifting my perspective and my lens,” said Gosselin, noting that she was taken aback by learning that she is pictured on a big billboard on Route 1.
“As an assistant, I was very much in the nitty gritty, whether that is scouting report, player development on the court, recruiting, getting tasks done in the office. Certainly I will have my hand in those things but I think just shifting that lens to more of a higher CEO level perspective and hiring the right people to make sure that the job gets done well.”
As Gosselin settles into her new role, she will be applying the lessons she learned from her time working with Berube.
“I have been here this long because I worked for Carla,” said Gosselin, who announced during the ceremony that assistant coach Jordan Edwards would be retained on her staff and promoted to recruiting coordinator. “She gave me the Xs and Os knowledge of the game. But I think more importantly in this profession where it certainly can consume you and become all encompassing, she was able to show me that you can be successful and still have that balance and not stray from your value system. She taught me to stay true to my values, to show up and work hard but that it is about the people. You can know everything but if you don’t have that relationship piece with your players with the alumni and our supporters you are not going to go very far.”
Realizing that the Princeton players went to bat for her in the head coach search, Gosselin is fired up to continue working together with them to help the Tigers go as far as possible.
“They are a big part of why this opportunity is now mine with their advocacy for me and their belief in me, they have that trust and confidence that I could do it without ever seeing me do it,” said Gosselin. “I have never been a head coach before, I understand that. I hope with the confidence they instill in me that I can do the same for them. I see what they are capable of. All of their journeys take different paths. They are capable of much more than they ever know, the same way they believe that I am much more capable than what I knew.”
And with Gosselin taking the helm, that journey should lead the Princeton program to continued excellence on and off the court.