Josephine Nando

Josephine Nando arrived at Rockbeach a year ago with a resume three careers deep. A Camden native, she played four seasons at High Hawk and was national player of the year in all four, then spent fifteen years as a professional with fourteen all-star selections. She then moved into a pro front office, rose to general manager, and returned to the bench as an assistant head coach. Rockbeach made her the first woman in the country to lead a men's college basketball program. She asked for a contract built on wins rather than guarantees, $500,000 with $25,000 per victory and $100,000 for reaching the tournament, so more could go to the players. "Pay the kids," she told her introductory press conference. "I win or I am out." Away from The Beacon she cooks for her assistants on Sundays, shoots two hundred free throws a day, and lives near the water with her mother and a retired whippet named Bucket.