Jeff Walz, Louisville women's basketball add two former head coaches

Louisville women's basketball is adding two former head coaches to its staff, the program announced Tuesday.

Former Boston College head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee and former New Mexico head coach Mike Bradbury are set to replace assistant coaches Shay Robinson, who joined Florida's coaching staff, and Amanda Butler, who's now the head coach at College of Charleston. It will be a reunion of sorts for Bernabei-McNamee and UofL head coach Jeff Walz, who won a national championship together in 2006 as part of Maryland's coaching staff.

"Having shared that experience, I’ve seen firsthand the level of preparation, passion and basketball IQ she brings every single day," Walz said of Bernabei-McNamee in a statement. "There’s a trust and familiarity there that you can’t manufacture, and I know she’ll make an immediate impact on our program. Joanna has proven herself as a leader and a teacher of the game, and she brings a tremendous ability to connect with our players while continuing to push them to grow."

Walz left Maryland a year after winning the national title for his first head coaching job at Louisville; Bernabei-McNamee joined West Virginia's coaching staff.

Head coaching stints at Pikeville (2013-16) and Albany (2016-18) followed for Bernabei-McNamee before she took over the Boston College program. During her eight seasons with the Eagles, the West Virginia native led the program to 20 wins in 2019-20 — including a program-record 11 ACC wins, earning her ACC Coach of the Year honors. But a five-win 2025-26 season led to her firing on on March 1.

Bradbury had been a head coach for 19 years and spent the last 10 years leading the New Mexico women's basketball program where he compiled a 202-112 overall record. That included six 20-win seasons and a program-record-tying 26 wins during the 2021-22 season. In 2023-24, he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year thanks to a 21-11 overall mark and 12-6 Mountain West Conference record. Bradbury ended his tenure with New Mexico with a 22-9 mark this past season.

Bradbury's resume includes head coaching roles at Wright State (2010-16) and Morehead State (2007-10) with assistant coaching stops at Xavier (2002-06), Cincinnati (1996-02), VCU (1995-96), East Tennessee State (1994-95) and Chattanooga (1991-94).

"Adding Mike Bradbury to our staff is about bringing in a coach with a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the game,” Walz said. “He’s been a head coach, he’s navigated the challenges of building programs, and he understands what it takes to compete at a high level. That perspective is invaluable for our players and for our staff as we continue to push forward."

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit atacubit@gannett.comand follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville women's basketball staff, Jeff Walz add ex-ACC head coach