Nettie Respondek began serving as an assistant coach of the New York University women’s basketball team prior to the 2018-19 season and was promoted to associate head coach in April 2023. Her main responsibilities include both recruiting and on-court development with the Violets’ perimeter players. She also assists with game preparation and spearheads the team’s efforts to engage with both the NYU and greater NYC community.
In ‘24-25, Respondek was named Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III Assistant Coach of the Year and NYU received University Athletic Association (UAA) Coaching Staff of the Year honors as the Violets went 31-0 and won its second consecutive NCAA Division III National Championship. NYU led Division III in average scoring margin (+37.3), field goal percentage (.506), assists per game (21.1), was second in points per game (87.9) and assist/turnover ratio (1.56), and fourth in turnover margin (+10.65).
The players received numerous accolades for their performances as Natalie Bruns earned Player of the Year honors from the WBCA, UAA, D3hoops.com, and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (WBWA) for the second consecutive season and established a program record for career blocked shots (328). She also received the NCAA’s Elite 90 Award, the Josten’s Award, and was named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic Team Member of the Year.
Belle Pellecchia was the UAA Defensive Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth straight season, earned WBCA and D3hoops.com All-America honors and was named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She, Bruns and Caroline Peper were also selected First Team All-UAA.
In 2023-24, Respondek helped lead NYU to the program’s second-ever NCAA Division III National Championship as the team defeated Smith College 51-41 in the title game to cap a perfect 31-0 season. The Violets captured their third-consecutive UAA Championship and NYU was named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
In their championship season, NYU ranked first in NCAA Division III in field goal percentage (team-record 49.0), third in three-point percentage (37.1), fourth in scoring margin (+26.1), and sixth in both blocks per game (6.2) and assists per game (18.5).
Bruns earned Player of the Year honors from the WBCA, UAA, D3hoops.com, and the MBWA while establishing team records for blocked shots in a season (98) and career (237).
Pellecchia was named UAA Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight year, while she, Bruns, Megan Bauman, and Morgan Morrison notched First Team All-UAA honors.
Bruns and Morrison were selected WBCA All-Americans, with Pellecchia earning Honorable Mention. Bruns (First Team), Morrison (Second Team) and Pellecchia (Fifth Team) also received D3hoops.com All-America honors.
In 2022-23, the Violets reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and won the UAA Championship. NYU opened the season with 11 straight wins and was ranked #1 in the nation by D3hoops.com and #2 by the WBCA.
After dropping two games, the Violets went on a 14-game winning streak before falling to host Transylvania University in the Elite Eight.
Nationally, the Violet finished fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.27) and blocks per game (6.5), ninth in scoring margin (21.5), 12th in field goal percentage (44.52) and turnovers per game (12.9), 13th in winning percentage (89.3), and 16th in both scoring (75.7) and three-point percentage (33.9).
Several players received numerous accolades. Bruns was named a WBCA All-American, D3hoops.com Region 4 Most Outstanding Player and First Team All-American, UAA Player of the Year, and First Team All-Met. Pellechia was selected WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, UAA Defensive Player of the Year, D3hoops.com Region 4 First Team, and Second Team All-UAA and All-Met. Jenny Walker earned All-UAA and All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Second Team honors, while Peper was named both UAA and D3hoops.com Region 4 Rookie of the Year.
The Violets went going 25-2 overall in 2021-22, winning the UAA Championship with a near-perfect 13-1 record, and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. NYU ranked among the nation’s leaders with a .926 winning percentage (tied for 7th),44.8 field goal percentage (8th), 5.6 blocks per game (tied for 11th),74.8 free throw percentage (12th), 150 blocks (tied for 13th), +20.4 scoring margin (14th, 77.6-57.3), and 33.8 three-point percentage (18th).
For their efforts, Respondek and the team’s coaches were named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
Individually, Walker was selected UAA and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year while also earning D3hoops.com Fifth Team All-America honors and First Team All-Met accolades. Pellecchia was named D3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year, UAA and ECAC Rookie of the Year, UAA Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-UAA, and Second Team All-Met. Both Bruns and Jordan Janowski were Second Team All-UAA selections
NYU did not compete in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019-20, Respondek helped lead the Violets to a 21-6 overall record and a second-place, 10-4 finish in the UAA. NYU qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016, defeating Emmanuel College in the first round before falling to host Bowdoin College in the second.
That squad broke several team records, including most three-pointers made (17) and attempted (41) in a game and in a season (275, 781), highest one-season free throw percentage (76.5) and three-point percentage (35.2). Individually, Annie Barrett set the Violets’ one-season (202) and career (435) assists records, while Brooklyn Shelton led NCAA Division III and set NYU’s one-season free throw percentage record (.992).
Numerous awards were achieved by the players, as Janean Cuffee was selected MBWA Division III Player of the Year, D3hoops.com First Team All-East Region, First Team All-UAA, All-ECAC First Team, and NYU’s Female Junior Scholar Athlete of the Year. Barrett received UAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team honors, as well as D3hoops.com Second Team All-East Region, All-ECAC Honorable Mention and Third Team All-Met accolades. Walker was also a Second Team All-UAA selection.
In her first season with the Violets, Respondek helped lead the Violets to a 17-10 overall record, a 6-8 mark in the UAA and to the postseason ECAC Championship. The season culminated in an 82-74 victory over host Cabrini University in the ECAC Championship Game.
Several players flourished during Respondek’s first season at NYU. Cuffee, who was selected the ECAC Championship Most Valuable Player, was a First Team All-Met and D3hoops.com Second Team All-East Region honoree. She was also named First Team All-UAA, while Katie Foos received Honorable Mention All-UAA.
Respondek brought a great deal of coaching experience with her to NYU, having served as an assistant at four NCAA Division I institutions. Most recently, she worked at the University of Denver from 2015-17. While there, Respondek served as the offensive specialist, perimeter player and point guard coach for the Pioneers. Under her guidance, the team increased its scoring by almost 10 points per game (53.5 to 62.3 ppg) from 2016 to 2017.
For three years (2012-15), Respondek was an assistant at St. Francis College in Brooklyn. She helped lead the Terriers to the Northeast Conference Championship and their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015.
Respondek spent two seasons (2010-12) at Columbia University, working mainly with the Lions’ post players and forwards while also serving as the junior varsity head coach. In 2012, she took part in a State Department service trip through Columbia University to Lira, Uganda, teaching 200 adult educators the game of basketball and helping lead a skills clinic for 500 Ugandan children.
Prior to that stint, Respondek was at Fordham University from 2006-10 and served as recruiting coordinator in her final season. While at Rose Hill, Respondek brought in several All-Atlantic 10 players, including Tournament MVP Abigail Corning.
A 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human and Organizational Development, Respondek went on to earn a master’s degree in Human Development Counseling from the Nashville, TN, school in 2000. She was a four-year member of Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team and helped lead the Commodores to two NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearances and one Elite Eight.
A former Miss Texas Basketball and Gatorade Texas Player of the Year as well as Gatorade Southwest Region Player of the Year for BF Terry High School in 1994, Respondek was one of 20 players selected to the Kodak All-America First Team.
A native of Rosenberg, TX, Respondek resides in Manhattan.
