Watch how Denise Dillon brewed something to savor as coach of Villanova women’s basketball
A look inside how the area native and Villanova great continues to lead by example both on and off the court.
Within Philly basketball circles, one could call Denise Dillon royalty.
The second in a series of Inquirer mini-documentaries chronicling a memorable season as it unfolds for the Villanova women’s basketball team hones in on Dillon, the hometown hooper that continues to make good.
A hooper in her own right
A star at Cardinal O’Hara High School, Dillon played her way into the Big 5 Hall of Fame as a guard at Villanova. As a coach, she led Drexel to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009 and steered the Dragons to a women’s NIT title in 2013. Now, she’s preparing for another run at the NCAA Tournament as the coach of No. 11-seeded Villanova after getting a taste just last season.
You should know…
Dillon can lay claim to coaching this year’s top two scorers in women’s basketball. Big East Player of the Year Maddy Siegrist has led the nation in scoring with 29.0 points per game as of the regular season. Just a few miles east, Drexel’s Keishana Washington is right there with Siegrist, averaging 27.1 points per game. Washington, who hails from Ontario, Canada was recruited by Dillon before her departure from the school and the program in 2020.
» READ MORE: Maddy Siegrist and Keishana Washington rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in scoring. Here’s the reason why.
All the awards
Dillon is decorated both as a player and a coach. In addition to being enshrined in the Big 5 Hall of Fame, she also is in Villanova’s Hall and a member of the Delaware County Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2022, she was named Big East Coach of the Year, leading Villanova to an NCAA Tournament appearance last season.