{{short description|American college basketball coach}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Rhonda Rompola | image = Rhonda Rompola.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|3|09}} | birth_place = [[Sayreville, New Jersey]] | alma_mater = [[Southern Methodist University|SMU]] | player_team1 = [[Old Dominion Monarchs|Old Dominion]] | player_years1 = 1979–1980 | player_team2 = [[SMU Mustangs|SMU]] | player_years2 = 1981–1983 | player_positions = [[Forward (basketball)|Forward]] | coach_years1 = 1983–1991 | coach_team1 = [[SMU Mustangs women's basketball|SMU]] (asst.) | coach_years2 = 1991–2016 | coach_team2 = SMU | overall_record = 438–318 ({{Winning percentage|438|318}}) | tournament_record = 3–7 ([[NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA]])<Br />1–5 ([[Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT]])<Br />2–1 ([[National Women's Invitational Tournament|NWIT]]) | championships = '''As a player:''' <br>2× [[AIAW women's basketball tournament|AIAW]] ([[AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament#1979 Division I tournament|1979]], [[AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament#1980 Division I tournament|1980]])<br>'''As a head coach:''' <br>[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] regular season (2000)<br>[[WAC women's basketball tournament|WAC tournament]] (1999)<br>2× [[Conference USA|C-USA]] regular season (2009, 2013)<br>[[Conference USA women's basketball tournament|C-USA tournament]] (2008) | awards = [[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] Coach of the Year (1999) }}
'''Rhonda Lee Rompola''' (born March 9, 1960)<ref name="going the distance">{{cite web|url=http://www.greensboro.com/sports/going-the-distance/article_b0308c10-c8c4-5a31-9d86-3d058016f069.html|title=Going the distance|author=Daniels, Rob|work=News & Record|date=January 17, 2008|accessdate=June 25, 2017}}</ref> is an American [[college basketball]] coach who was most recently the head women's basketball coach at [[SMU Mustangs women's basketball|Southern Methodist University]] (SMU) from 1991 to 2016.<ref name="Retiring">{{Cite web|url = http://www.smumustangs.com/news/2016/2/22/Rompola_Announces_Retirement.aspx|title = BREAKING: Rhonda Rompola Announces Retirement|publisher=SMU Mustangs|language = en-US|access-date = 2016-03-09}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Rompola was born and raised in [[Sayreville, New Jersey]]. She graduated from [[Sayreville War Memorial High School]] in 1978.<ref name=SMU /> From 1978 to 1980, Rompola played basketball at [[Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball|Old Dominion University]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], averaging 10.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists and was part of two [[Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women|AIAW]] championship teams.<ref name=SMU /> Rompola transferred to [[SMU Mustangs women's basketball|SMU]] in [[Dallas]]. After redshirting one season per NCAA transfer rules, Rompola played at [[forward (basketball)|forward]] at SMU from 1981 to 1983. With 21.3 points per game, Rompola was SMU's leading scorer in 1981–82. She graduated in 1983 with a business degree.<ref name=SMU>{{cite web|url=http://www.smumustangs.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/rompola_rhonda00.html|title=Rhonda Rompola|publisher=[[SMU Mustangs]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926002610/http://smumustangs.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/rompola_rhonda00.html|archive-date=September 26, 2015|accessdate=June 25, 2017}}</ref>
==Coaching career== From 1983 to 1991, Rompola was an assistant coach at SMU before being promoted to head coach.<ref name="Retiring"/>
In her first season as coach in 1991–92, she posted a 17–12 record, the team's first winning season since 1981–82 when she was a player. Overall, she posted a 439–317 ({{Winning percentage|439|317}}) record at SMU.<ref name="Retiring" /> In 1998, SMU won its first-ever [[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] tournament title, as it defeated 4th-ranked [[Colorado State University]] in the final, and then 25th-ranked [[Toledo Rockets women's basketball|Toledo]] in the opening round of the [[1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]]. In 1998 and 1999, Rompola guided the Mustangs to back-to-back 20-win seasons. She was named the 1999 WAC Coach of the year for her efforts. In 2007, SMU went 24–9, and finished second in Conference USA play with an 11–5 mark. Along with being SMU's all-time leader in coaching wins in any sport, she also earned an honorable mention on the all-time Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team.<ref name=SMU/> She coached her 400th victory on February 21, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/smu-mustangs/20130222-smu-women-s-basketball-coach-rompola-gets-her-400th-career-win.ece |title=SMU women's basketball coach Rompola gets her 400th career win |first=Bill |last=Nichols |newspaper=The Dallas Morning News |date=February 22, 2013 |accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref>
==Personal life== Previously married to Steven Haddock, Rompola married men's basketball coach [[Mike Dement]] in June 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/columns/story?id=3199107 |title=Dement, Rompola honeymoon includes lots of phone calls, airline miles |first=Dana |last=O'Neil |publisher=ESPN |date=January 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119060427/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=3199107 |archive-date=January 19, 2008 |access-date=October 11, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Head coaching record== {{CBB Yearly Record Start| |type=coach |conference= |postseason= |poll=no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead| |name=[[SMU Mustangs women's basketball|SMU Mustangs]] |startyear=1991 |conference=[[Southwest Conference]] |endyear=1996 |}} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1991–92 | name = SMU | overall = 17–12 | conference = 7–7 | confstanding = T–4th | postseason = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1992–93 | name = SMU | overall = 20–10 | conference = 8–6 | confstanding = 3rd | postseason = [[National Women's Invitational Tournament|NWIT Runner-up]] | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1993–94 | name = SMU | overall = 18–9 | conference = 8–6 | confstanding = 4th | postseason = [[1994 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA first round]] | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1994–95 | name = SMU | overall = 21–10 | conference = 9–5 | confstanding = T–2nd | postseason = [[1995 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA second round]] | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1995–96 | name = SMU | overall = 19–11 | conference = 9–5 | confstanding = 3rd | postseason = [[1996 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA first round]] | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = SMU (SWC) | overall = 95–52 ({{winpct|95|52}}) | confrecord = 41–29 ({{winpct|41|29}}) }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead| |name=SMU Mustangs |startyear=1996 |conference=[[Western Athletic Conference]] |endyear=2005 |}} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1996–97 | name = SMU | overall = 19–11 | conference = 11–5 | confstanding = 3rd (Mountain) | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 1997–98 | name = SMU | overall = 21–8 | conference = 11–3 | confstanding = T–2nd (Pacific) | postseason = [[1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA first round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference tournament | season = 1998–99 | name = SMU | overall = 20–11 | conference = 11–3 | confstanding = 2nd (Mountain) | postseason = [[1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA second round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | season = 1999–2000 | name = SMU | overall = 22–9 | conference = 12–2 | confstanding = 1st | postseason = [[2000 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA second round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2000–01 | name = SMU | overall = 17–12 | conference = 11–5 | confstanding = 3rd | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2001–02 | name = SMU | overall = 12–18 | conference = 6–12 | confstanding = 7th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2002–03 | name = SMU | overall = 16–15 | conference = 8–10 | confstanding = 7th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2003–04 | name = SMU | overall = 13–15 | conference = 9–9 | confstanding = 5th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2004–05 | name = SMU | overall = 19–11 | conference = 10–8 | confstanding = 5th | postseason = [[Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT first round]] | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = SMU (WAC) | overall = 159–110 ({{winpct|159|110}}) | confrecord = 89–57 ({{winpct|89|57}}) }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead| |name=SMU Mustangs |startyear=2005 |conference=[[Conference USA]] |endyear=2013 |}} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2005–06 | name = SMU | overall = 16–14 | conference = 10–6 | confstanding = 3rd | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2006–07 | name = SMU | overall = 18–12 | conference = 9–7 | confstanding = 6th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference tournament | season = 2007–08 | name = SMU | overall = 24–9 | conference = 11–5 | confstanding = 2nd | postseason = [[2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA first round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | season = 2008–09 | name = SMU | overall = 20–12 | conference = 12–4 | confstanding = 1st | postseason = [[2009 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT first round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2009–10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2009–10]] | name = SMU | overall = 20–11 | conference = 10–6 | confstanding = 2nd | postseason = [[2010 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT first round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2010–11 | name = SMU | overall = 14–16 | conference = 7–9 | confstanding = 8th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = 2011–12 | name = SMU | overall = 14–17 | conference = 6–10 | confstanding = T–9th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = conference | season = [[2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2012–13]] | name = SMU | overall = 21–10 | conference = 12–4 | confstanding = 1st | postseason = [[2013 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT first round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = SMU (C-USA) | overall = 147–101 ({{winpct|147|101}}) | confrecord = 77–51 ({{winpct|77|51}}) }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead| |name=SMU Mustangs |startyear=2013 |conference=[[American Athletic Conference]] |endyear=2016 |}} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2013–14]] | name = [[2013–14 SMU Mustangs women's basketball team|SMU]] | overall = 18–14 | conference = 8–10 | confstanding = 6th | postseason = [[2014 Women's National Invitation Tournament|WNIT second round]] }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2014–15]] | name = [[2014–15 SMU Mustangs women's basketball team|SMU]] | overall = 7–23 | conference = 3–15 | confstanding = 10th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | season = [[2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2015–16]] | name = [[2015–16 SMU Mustangs women's basketball team|SMU]] | overall = 13–18 | conference = 7–11 | confstanding = 7th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = SMU (The American) | overall = 38–55 ({{winpct|38|55}}) | confrecord = 18–36 ({{winpct|18|36}}) }} {{CBB Yearly Record End |overall= 438–318 ({{winpct|438|318}}) }}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{SMU Mustangs women's basketball coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rompola, Rhonda}} [[Category:American women's basketball players]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball players]] [[Category:People from Sayreville, New Jersey]] [[Category:Sayreville War Memorial High School alumni]] [[Category:SMU Mustangs women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:American women's basketball coaches]] [[Category:Basketball coaches from New Jersey]] [[Category:Basketball players from Middlesex County, New Jersey]] [[Category:Forwards (basketball)]] [[Category:Women's Professional Basketball League players]] [[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]