St. John’s Head Women’s Basketball Coach Joe Tartamella announced the hiring of Bill Ferrara as Associate Head Coach and Candice Walker as Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach.

Ferrara, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., joins the Johnnies following four seasons as an assistant coach at The University of New Mexico. During his tenure with the Lobos, Ferrara helped lead the squad to a 79-40 record, including back-to-back 20-plus win seasons. The consecutive 20-plus win seasons with Ferrara marked the first for the Lobos in over a decade. With Ferrara on staff, UNM also earned three postseason berths.

In the team’s most recent season, Ferrara helped guide the Lobos to an 11-3 record in Mountain West play, as the squad captured its first regular season championship since the 2004-05 campaign.

“I have known Bill for almost my entire career in coaching,” said Tartamella. “He has tremendous passion and energy for what he does, which has made him very successful at every stop he has had. He has a great mind for the game, excels at developing and identifying talent and is a proven winner.  We welcome Bill and his family back to New York and to the BIG EAST.”

In charge of the post players at UNM, Ferrara served as a mentor for Jaisa Nunn, a two-time All-Mountain West honoree and the 2018-19 Mountain West Player of the Year.

Prior to his time at UNM, Ferrara was an assistant coach at the University of Florida from 2015-2017. During his tenure with the Gators, Ferrara helped the team earn a no. 5 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Ferrara played a key role in the Gators’ offensive performance that season, as they led the SEC in scoring for the first time in program history.

Before his time at Florida, Ferrara spent two seasons at George Washington University where he played an instrumental role in recruiting, player development, strength and conditioning as well as working with post players. He helped the Colonials earn a no. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament in addition to a program-record 29 wins (29-4 record) during the 2014-15 season.

Ferrara began his coaching career at Central Michigan (2008-11) before taking on the role as recruiting coordinator at Hofstra. While with the Pride, he helped assemble the sixth-best recruiting class among mid-majors in 2012 according to ESPN Hoopgurlz.

Walker brings nearly a decade of coaching and recruiting experience to the Red Storm staff. The Baltimore native joins the Johnnies following a season serving as the assistant coach at her alma mater, Loyola Maryland.

Prior to her time with the Greyhounds, Walker spent six seasons at the University of Massachusetts. Walker was hired by UMass before the start of the 2015-16 season as the director of operations. After one season as the team’s director of operations, Walker was promoted to assistant coach prior to the start of the 2016-17 campaign. During her four-year tenure as an assistant coach, Walker helped UMass improve from 9-21 in 2016-17 to a 20-win season (20-11) in 2019-20. This marked Massachusetts’ first 20-win season since 1995-96.

In 2019, Walker added recruiting coordinator duties to her resume, helping to assemble several nationally-ranked recruiting classes. In the season to follow, Walker helped the team lead the Atlantic 10 Conference and finish 36th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13:1) while closing out the season ranked second in the league in scoring offense (66.0 ppg).

Following the 2019-2020 campaign, Walker earned the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s prestigious Thirty Under 30 Award, an honor that recognizes up-and-coming coaches at all levels of women’s basketball.

“We are very excited to welcome Candice to the staff,” said Tartamella. “Her track record speaks for itself. She has an ability to create relationships with the players and has proven herself a tremendous recruiter at our level. Her energy and passion on the court with working and developing players is also something we are extremely excited about.”

Before joining the staff in Amherst, Massachusetts, Walker began her collegiate coaching career at Wilmington (Del.) University from 2013-15.

In addition to her coaching ability, Walker was a standout on the court for the Greyhounds. She burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2007-08, becoming the first rookie to start at point guard for the Greyhounds since the 1991-92 season. After setting a freshman record for assists with 93, Walker earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Rookie recognition. Over her collegiate career, she played in 117 games, a mark that still ranks 10th in school history, while making 59 starts.

For more information on the St. John’s University Athletics Department fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:

St. John’s University Athletics – Official Athletics Website (redstormsports.com)