Carol Ann Alfano

National Basketball Coach

Class of 1967

Inducted: 1998

Carol Alfano calls Long Branch her hometown. She was born and raised here and graduated from Long Branch High School in 1967. In 1971, fresh from the University of Charleston, she returned the Long Branch High School as a physical education teacher and head basketball coach.

During her first year in the Long Branch school system, Ms. Alfano started the girl’s basketball program. The first girls basketball team in our history finished the season with a 1-9 record, and the second year they finished 5-10. However, things started to change in the third year when they finish with a 17-3 record and became division co-champions. This record was repeated in their fourth year when they finished with the 17-4 record and were co-champions again.

After leaving Long Branch, Ms. Alfano headed to Virginia Tech. In her nineteen years as head basketball coach, she earned the distinction of being their “winningest basketball coach, men's or women's.” She compiled 278 wins and led her team to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994 and 1995. She led Virginia Tech to its first national ranking during the 1994-95 season. During her nineteen year tenure, only two of her student athletes who completed four years of eligibility failed to earn their degree.

In 1997, Ms. Alfano left Virginia Tech and was named assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of California. She is the President-Elect of the 3,000 member Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.