Nolan Named Women's Coach at Lafayette

She's Back.

That would be Dianne Nolan, the longtime women's coach at Fairfield. Nolan, in case you missed it, is in charge of a program again, this time at Lafayette of the Patriot League. Nolan was introduced as the Leopards' head coach last month.

The veteran and well-decorated coach had been an assistant at Yale for the past three seasons. Prior to that she had directed Fairfield's program for 28 years before her dismissal after the 2006-07 season.

At Fairfield she guided the Stags to five MAAC championship titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. She is one of just two MAAC coaches to record more than 400 victories. Nolan ran up a 439-324 record at Fairfield while that school was a conference member from 1981-82 through the 2006-07 season. Only former Saint Peter's coach Mike Granelli had more wins (483) while coaching a MAAC team.

Nolan's program, though, had six straight seasons without going over the .500 mark prior to her dismissal from Fairfield.

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to coach the women's basketball team at Lafayette College," said Nolan, at the time of her hiring by Lafayette. "The real meaning and purpose of intercollegiate athletics can be found on College Hill. I look forward to continuing Lafayette's tradition of athletic excellence as we move the program to the top echelon of the league and beyond."

Nolan's 28 overall seasons at Fairfield involved that program's transition to the Division I level in 1981. Her time there remains the ninth-longest head coaching stint at one school in NCAA Division I women's basketball history. She was named the MAAC's Coach of the Year five times, the most recent being after a 25-6 finish in the 2000-01 season.

And, there's another MAAC connection on the new Lafayette staff.

After her hiring, Nolan added Shireyll Moore to her staff as an assistant.

Moore played four seasons 2005-06 through 2008-09 at Fairfield, the first two of those when Nolan was still the coach there.

A native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., Moore is the daughter of Lowes Moore, who played parts of three seasons in the NBA in the early 1980s and several more years in the Continental Basketball Association.