Bridgewater College

Jean Willi retired in 2017 after her 21st season at the helm of the Bridgewater's women's basketball program. In addition, Willi she also served as the College's Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Women's Administrator.

Willi has directed the Eagles to the 1999-00 and 2000-01 regular season ODAC titles, five NCAA Division III tournament appearances, and the 1998-99 and 2007-08 Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships. Willi has compiled a 361-179 career mark for an impressive 66.9% winning percentage.

On December 6, 2011, Willi claimed her 300th career victory with an 80-63 triumph over the Southern Virginia Knights. 

Willi spent 11 seasons as a Bridgewater assistant, before taking over as head coach prior to the 1996-97 season. Her first Eagles' squad went 22-6 and gained the school's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III tournament, and Willi was named the Old Dominion Athletic Coach of the Year.

The Eagles followed with an even greater campaign in 1997-98, finishing with a 24-5 season mark (a school record for season victories) and reaching the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA tournament. For her accomplishments, Willi was named the 1998 College Division Coach of the Year by the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID).

The Eagles again reached the 20-win plateau in 1998-99, and captured the program's first ODAC tournament title since 1990 with a 75-71 overtime victory over Randolph Macon in the championship game.

For the fourth time in as many years as head coach, Willi again directed the Eagles' to another 20-win season in 1999-2000. The team finished with an overall record of 20-6 and lost in the ODAC semifinals to Emory & Henry.

The 2000-01 season marked another 20-win effort and another ODAC Coach of the Year honor for Willi as the Eagles won the ODAC regular-season title, finishing with a 21-5 record. In 2001-02 the Eagles finished 23-5 and lost to Guilford in the ODAC title game.

In 2003-04, the Eagles reached the 20-win mark again and tied for the ODAC regular season title with Coach Willi once again named conference Coach of the Year.

In 2005-06, the Eagles finished with a 24-7 record (tying the most wins in a season record) and received one of the at-large bids to the NCAA Division III tournaments. The Eagles advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Bates and Baruch, before falling to Southern Maine - the nation's top-ranked team- on USM's homecourt.

In 2007-08, the Eagles became the first sixth-seed to ever win the ODAC tournament title.  Bridgewater upset the #3, #2, and #1 seeds to capture Willi's second conference title. 

Willi added another ODAC Coach of the Year honor in 2010-11 after the Eagles went 22-4 and compiled the highest winning percentage (.846) of her tenure.

In 2015-16, senior Cassidy Burkholder was one of 10 national finalists for the presitigious Jostens Trophy, which is given to Division III basketball's top student-athlete.

Willi has been actively involved in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and has served as the conference captain on the Division III basketball committee and has been chair of the South Region.

A 1980 graduate of Bridgewater, Willi was an All-State selection in basketball as she helped lead the Eagles to the 1980 Virginia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women's (VAIAW) Division III championship. She still ranks among Bridgewater's top 10 rebounders, and her 264 rebounds during the 1979-80 season stands as the second-best total in school history. Willi also was a member of the Eagles' 1980 lacrosse squad that finished fourth nationally.