This is part one of a 12-part series spotlighting the new head coaches in the region penned by D2EastHoops columnist Tim McCaffrey.
Christie Conforti is not new to the region, but after Concordia College announced on January 25, 2021 that the school would close following the '20-'21 academic year, the Staten Island native was left with many emotions. At the same time the coach was employed, and also out of work, but she did not make herself a priority.
“I wasn’t thinking about myself,” Conforti said. “I was worried about the student-athletes and placing them.”
While all of that was happening, Conforti guided her team to the NCAA Tournament, the first (and last) time in school history for the women’s basketball program.
“They stuck together and had a pretty good year.”
The truth is, Conforti’s best-coached game was probably against the school that just hired her. In 2019, the Clippers came from 28 points down in the second half and upended Caldwell University, where she now has an office on the same floor she led her group, then as the visitors, to a stunning 76-74 overtime triumph.
“If you had told me I’d be here after that game, I would have never believed you,” said the new Cougars women’s basketball coach.
Conforti, who boasted the 28-point deficit was the largest ever overcome in the second half of a D2 affair, was speechless when initially asked about the journey from that game in January 2019 to now. That one contest is emblematic of the resiliency of Conforti. Her Clippers trailed 58-30 but came out on top. Now she’s zeroed in on an ideal situation with the Cougars.
“It’s a dream come true to be at a school with a ton of resources that is so pro-athletics,” said the 2010 Pace University graduate. “The scholarship situation here is wonderful.”
At 24, Conforti, just two years removed from picking up her psychology degree and only in her second year as an assistant, was named the Interim Head Coach at Concordia during the 2013-'14 campaign. Now, she has the opportunity of a lifetime, coaching in the Newman Center on the picturesque North Jersey campus. It takes time to develop as a head coach, but Conforti has made the most of her NCAA Tournament appearance last season and has landed a program with the resources to accomplish huge things.
In the present, she knows the Cougars are a group that needs to take one step at a time.
“The long-term goal is to get Caldwell University to the NCAA's and among the region’s best,” said the self-described underdog. “I got into coaching and tried to coach the way I wanted to be coached and I expect us to play hard and grind out games and learn and get better. This first year we have to learn to compete. Once we do that we’ll set the next goal and I couldn’t be more excited!”
Conforti’s tale proves the old adage true: when one door literally closes, another opens.
Tim McCaffrey is an opinion and features writer for D2EastHoops. He can be reached at tpmccaffrey@gmail.com
If you believe in what D2easthoops is all about maybe you can spare a dime or more at our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/D2easthoops