After 17 seasons as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Tufts University, which included a 384-96 (.800) record and four Division III Final Four appearances, Carla Berube took on the new challenge of leading the Princeton University program. In her first season, she led the Tigers to a 26-1 overall record and the Ivy League Championship, resulting in being honored as the Ivy League Coach of the Year.

Three things I learned in year one as the Head Coach at Princeton are:

  1. I think there are too many myths that Division I is so much different than Division III. It’s really not when you’re talking X’s and O’s, how to motivate your team, how to prepare for each practice and game, etc.
  2. The biggest difference has been in recruiting; the volume of it, the travel and recruiting against schools that offer scholarships have been the biggest changes.
  3. Anytime you move on to a different school, it’s going to take time to get to know your new university inside and out. You should schedule meetings with different people across the campus to learn from them and find out what makes the university so special and unique.