Samantha Quigley begins her third year as USF's head women's basketball coach in 2014-15.
Quigley was elevated to the head coaching position after serving as an assistant to then-interim head coach Brian Michalak in 2011-12. During that season – her first year coaching at the collegiate level – she helped guide the Saints to a 17-14 overall record.
In her debut as a head coach in 2012-13, Quigley led St. Francis to a 14-17 overall record and the No. 6 seed for the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament after finishing 12-10 in league action. USF defeated Judson University in the conference tournament opener before falling to No. 3 seed Cardinal Stritch University in the semifinals.
Prior to moving on to the coaching ranks, Quigley enjoyed a stellar playing career at NCAA Division I DePaul University from 2008-11. She capped her career as a senior in 2010-11 with selection as a State Farm Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention All-American and a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award. She also garnered All-Big East Second-Team accolades in each of her final two seasons.
On Dec. 7, 2010 at Pittsburgh, Quigley became the 24th player in DePaul women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000-career point plateau. She went on to finish her career in 16th place on the Blue Demons’ all-time scoring chart with 1,273 points. In addition to her scoring prowess, Quigley collected 484 assists to leave DePaul in second place on the school’s career list in that category.
Quigley’s success was not limited to the basketball court. She was a Capital One Academic All-District Five Second-Team selection and the recipient of the Big East Sportsmanship Award in 2010-11.
A multi-sport star as a prep at Joliet Catholic Academy, Quigley was named Chicago Sun-Times Female Athlete of the Year in 2006 as a standout in basketball, volleyball and softball. She was a four-year starter in each of the sports from 2002-06.
Quigley finished her prep basketball career with 1,910 points and was a Parade All-American and McDonald’s All-America nominee. She was twice named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team and Associated Press Class AA All-State Third Team. She also claimed all-state honors in volleyball and all-area recognition in softball. As a sophomore, along with her older sister Allie as a senior, she led Joliet Catholic to the Class 2A state volleyball championship. She also batted better than .400 as the leadoff hitter for the softball team.
Quigley and her family are no strangers to USF. Her late father, Pat, played basketball and tennis for the Saints, and the playing court in the Sullivan Center is named in his honor. Her mother, Chris (Prieboy), is USF’s all-time leading scorer in basketball and was a star softball player for the Saints. Her retired jersey hangs in the Sullivan Center. Her stepfather, Don Strle, played basketball for legendary St. Francis head coach Pat Sullivan.
Quigley’s older sister, Allie, was, like Samantha, an All-Big East basketball player at DePaul and has played professionally in both Europe and in the WNBA, most recently for the Chicago Sky. Her younger brother, Jake, was the lone Quigley sibling to attend USF and played tennis for the Saints prior to his 2011 graduation.
Quigley graduated from DePaul in 2010.
