Aaron Roussell Named 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year
Richmond head coach second recipient of the award
HOPEWELL, N.J. (April 3, 2025) — Her Hoop Stats is proud to announce that Richmond head coach Aaron Roussell has been named the 2025 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats. The award, which is in its second season, recognizes the most outstanding mid-major head coach in the country.
Roussell guided the Spiders to the most successful season in program history, finishing with a 28-7 record and Richmond’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win when the Spiders cruised to a 25-point victory over Georgia Tech in the Round of 64.
The Spiders earned a No. 8 seed in the tournament — the second-highest seed in program history, trailing only 1991 when they were a seven seed — thanks to their strong non-conference slate. Richmond went 10-5 against the No. 31 non-conference strength of schedule in Division I (based on opponents’ average HHS Rating).
In conference play, Richmond won a program-record 17 consecutive games between January 5 and March 7 en route to its second-consecutive A-10 regular season championship after winning none in the prior 22 seasons in the conference.
Roussell moved into third all-time in wins in Richmond history, and second in the NCAA era, closing out the season with an overall record of 122-64 across six seasons. Roussell’s teams have combined for 57 wins over the last two seasons alone.
Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for the award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid-major.” The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, Oregon State and Washington State were ineligible this season as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves. Interim head coaches are eligible, though total games coached were taken into consideration.
The 20-person preseason watch list was announced in October. The 10 members of the midseason watch list were announced in January, and the five finalists were announced in March. Coaches were assessed throughout the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching were also weighed when assessing each candidate.
About Kathy Delaney-Smith
Delaney-Smith’s Harvard teams compiled a record of 630-434 (.592) in her 40-year career, including a 367-168 (.685) record in Ivy League play. Delaney-Smith’s 630 wins rank 32nd in Division I history, and ninth among coaches who spent their entire career with a single team.
Delaney-Smith led her teams to six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine WNIT appearances, plus three Ivy League titles before the NCAA Tournament awarded automatic bids to the Ivy League champion. She has coached nine Ivy League Player of the Year recipients, six Ivy League Rookie of the Year winners, and all 22 of Harvard’s 1,000-point scorers in the program’s NCAA Division I history.
Delaney-Smith was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1986, becoming the first woman to ever be inducted, with more than three decades of her career still ahead of her. She was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
A native of Newton, Mass., Delaney-Smith is also among the most accomplished high school players and coaches in the state’s history. She was the first woman in state history to score 1,000 points while at Sacred Heart High School. As a high school coach, Delaney-Smith coached Westwood High School to an overall record of 204-31 across 11 seasons, including a 96-game winning streak.
About Her Hoop Stats
Her Hoop Stats was founded in 2017 to unlock better insight about women's basketball at all levels. We began as a statistics site focused on providing consistent, reliable, and easy-to-access data about women's basketball for both mobile and desktop environments. Her Hoop Stats has expanded to become a leading independent voice in the women's game providing content through our newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram).