Kim Barnes Arico begins her sixth year at the helm of the St. John's University women's basketball program. In what has become one of the remarkable turnarounds in the BIG EAST and the nation, she has catapulted the Red Storm onto the national scene, returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades and led the program to some of its most successful seasons in school history. Highlighting her illustrious career was the 2005-06 season, when the Red Storm finished with a 22-8 overall record, a national ranking and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament second round. Barnes Arico garnered BIG EAST and Metropolitan Basketball Writer's Association Coach of the Year Honors. After taking over a program that finished 3-24 overall (0-16 in the BIG EAST) the year before she arrived, Barnes Arico orchestrated the resurgence of St. John's women's basketball and restored respect for a program that has historically been rich in tradition. Five seasons later, her accomplishments speak for themselves: Two consecutive 20-win seasons, an NCAA Tournament berth and victory, one WNIT appearance, four trips to the BIG EAST Tournament and an infusion of energy into the program that both the university and athletics community has felt. Barnes Arico's expertise and passion have paid dividends in her short time at St. John's, and the benefits have been long-reaching. In 2005, the university opened Taffner Field House, a new state-of-the-art basketball practice facility and the Red Storm has played four contests in The World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. Prior to its banner season in 2005-06, Barnes Arico was named the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Division I Women's Coach of the Year after leading the 2004-05 St. John's team to a postseason berth (WNIT) for the first time in 17 years. Her second-year team returned to the BIG EAST Tournament field after missing the previous two. And in just her first year, Barnes Arico took a team that went 3-24 overall and 0-16 in the BIG EAST and turned it into an 8-19 team that won its first conference game in two years. The turnaround proved to the basketball world what St. John's already knew - Kim Barnes Arico and her staff had the ability to put St. John's back on the women's basketball map. She had the distinction of being the coach that led St. John's in its first-ever women's basketball game in Madison Square Garden, and notched her 100th-career victory in her first season with the Red Storm. The Barnes Arico Era at St. John's officially began on May 7, 2002, as she was named the seventh head coach in the 28-year history of the women's basketball program. Since then, she has put heart and determination back into the St. John's women's basketball team, and has the program on track to be a conference and national force. Prior to arriving at St. John's, Barnes Arico achieved a great deal of success in three seasons as the head coach at Division II Adelphi, leading the Panthers to three consecutive postseason appearances. During that time, her teams turned in a 65-24 overall mark (.730), including a 28-win season in 2001-02. That year, she guided the Panthers to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1987. In what would be her final season there, Adelphi won its first-ever New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) Championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, posting a 28-3 record along the way. After starting the season with 21 consecutive wins, the team earned its first national ranking in school history, finishing with a final ranking of No. 12. Barnes Arico was named NYCAC, NIT/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Division II and Nassau County Sports Commission Outstanding Female Coach of the Year. In 2000-01, Adelphi finished the regular season tied for second in the NYCAC with a 19-11 record. The Panthers headed to their second straight Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament, where they finished second. In her first season at Adelphi, Barnes Arico guided her team to an 18-10 record, tying the program high for wins in a season. She used her fundamental style to lead the Panthers to her first postseason berth, qualifying for the ECAC Tournament. For her work, Barnes Arico was honored as the 2000 NYCAC Coach of the Year. In addition to her coaching duties, Barnes Arico also served as an assistant athletic director and the academic liaison for student-athletes at Adelphi. She also served as a member of the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Selection Committee and the ECAC Advisory Committees. Barnes Arico began her head coaching career in 1996 at Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison, a Division III university in New Jersey. In her only season with the Devils, she led FDU to a 13-11 overall record. Barnes Arico moved on to the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she directed a program making the transition from Division III to Division II. After going 5-21 during the 1997-98 season, the Highlanders finished 11-16 the following season. The turnaround earned NJIT a sixth-place finish in the NYCAC and Barnes Arico New Jersey Coach of the year honors. A native of Mastic Beach, N.Y., Barnes Arico helped lead Stony Brook University to the 1989 NCAA Division III tournament as a freshman. Barnes Arico spent her final three years of eligibility at Montclair State University, serving as captain during her junior and senior campaigns. As the Red Hawks leading scorer, she guided the team to back-to-back ECAC tournament appearances in 1990 and 1991. Barnes Arico, a Montclair State scholar athlete, graduated in 1993 with a bachelor of science in physical education and health. In September 2007, she was inducted in William Floyd High School's Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class. This season, she will serve a third year as a member of the prestigious Kodak All-American Selection Committee. Barnes Arico and her husband, Larry Arico, the athletic director and head football coach at Marist High School, reside in Glen Rock, N.J. They have a son, Trevor (6) and a daughter, Emma (2). In addition to her coaching duties with St. John's, Barnes Arico also serves as head coach of the Under-7 Glen Rock Shooting Stars travel soccer team.
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