Bento-Jackson ousted as women's coach
By Cecile Nguyen
Three years after the Athletic Department unsuccessfully tried to fire Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, the department announced that Bento-Jackson will not be returning to lead the Broncos next season.
Bento-Jackson's contract expires at the end of this academic year, and she will not be offered an extension, Athletic Director Dan Coonan said in a statement on Tuesday, March 25.
"This decision comes after a great deal of careful thought and consideration," Coonan said in the statement. "While the team did perform well this year, I felt that it was in the best long-term interest of the program to make a change."
Coonan declined a request from The Santa Clara for an interview, and Bento-Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Senior Jen Gottschalk, who led the team in scoring this season with 500 points, said she was sad to learn Bento-Jackson was dismissed.
"She meant so much to the team," said Gottschalk. "Speaking on behalf of the seniors, I know that through her player development, she made us better players."
Gottschalk was an instrumental factor in many of the Broncos' victories this season after fellow senior Chandice Cronk went down with a career-ending knee injury.
Bento-Jackson came under fire in 2005, when accusations from former players -- alleging that she had been verbally abusive and mistreated various members of the team -- surfaced in the San Jose Mercury News.
According to the Mercury News, the claims had been brought forth during the first three years of Bento-Jackson's tenure. As a result, the Athletics Department chose to fire Bento-Jackson following the 2004-05 season.
However, an independent arbitrator was summoned to review the charges, and ruled that the university's dismissal of the coach was not warranted. Bento-Jackson was immediately reinstated.
The Broncos won the WCC regular season title during the following season, going 19-12 overall and 11-3 in conference action. Following that performance, Bento-Jackson was awarded a two-year contract extension through the 2007-2008 season.
This season, the Broncos boasted a 20-11 overall record and went 8-6 in conference play, good enough for second place during the regular season. Santa Clara lost 72-66 to San Diego, the eventual WCC tournament champions, in the semifinals of the conference tournament last month.
"I hope everyone remembers what a great season we had," said Gottschalk. "The players and the coaching staff worked so hard this season, and I hope that it doesn't get overshadowed by all of this."
According to an e-mail from the Athletic Department, the search for Bento-Jackson's replacement is already underway. Currently, there has been no formal announcement made as to who will take over the position, and no possible candidates have been mentioned.
When she was hired in June 2002, Bento-Jackson became the seventh head coach in the 38-year history of Santa Clara's women's basketball program.
A native of Mountain View, Bento-Jackson was part of the women's basketball program at Syracuse for four seasons before joining the Broncos.
In six years with Santa Clara, Bento-Jackson compiled a 98-84 record and led the team to three postseason appearances in her first five seasons with Santa Clara.
The Broncos won the WCC championship in 2004-05 and the WCC regular season title in the 2005-06 under Bento-Jackson.
Contact Cecile Nguyen at (408) 551-1918 or cnguyen5@scu.edu.