Paul Honsinger

Former Eckerd College men's basketball player and assistant coach Paul Honsinger took of the reigns of the Tritons' women's basketball program on May 22, 2006 and is in his first full year as the leader of the lady hoopsters.

Honsinger, a native of Albany, New York, spent the last five years as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the College of Saint Rose in Albany where he helped piece together a team that was in the rebuilding stages when he arrived in July of 2001. He helped build a foundation at Saint Rose that eventually led to the team's 2005 NCAA postseason tournament appearance.

Prior to his time as a Golden Knight, Honsinger stood on the sidelines in the McArthur Gym behind former head coach Brian Shultes and helped call the shots for the Tritons for three years. He wore plenty of hats during his initial time at Eckerd College, working not only as the assistant women's basketball coach, but also an admissions counselor and assistant dean of admissions during his first stint with the Tritons.

During the 2000-01 season, his final year as an assistant on the EC sidelines, he helped pilot a Lady Triton team that posted a school record 16 wins.

The 1998 graduate of Eckerd returns to take over a very talented team which underachieved during the 2005-06 basketball season going 4-24 overall and 2-14 in conference play. Despite the team's sub par record. Honsinger will have a lot to work with as he settles into the head coaching position. The Tritons claimed the conference Freshman of the Year in Gabby Gattuso, and sports an impressive recruiting class for the 2006-07 season, including Gattuso's younger sister, Carissa, who will help add some speed to the Triton lineup.

Away from EC, Honsinger is also a familiar face around the summer basketball circuit.  He has coached at numerous camps including the Sam Perkins Camp, Lou Cioffi Basketball Academy, and the Siena College Basketball Camps and is also charged as the leader of the Eckerd College All-Sports Camp and the Lady Tritons Women's Basketball Camp.

The 1994 graduate of Catholic Central High School in Troy, New York, Honsinger lettered in basketball, baseball and cross country for the Crusaders.  He received his Master's Degree in Education Administration from The College of Saint Rose in 2004.  He and his wife, Karen, reside in South St. Petersburg.  

Phoenicia Wright
Assistant Women's Basketball Coach (1st Season)
(727) 864-7506
wrightpa@eckerd.edu

Making the 1300 mile journey along with Head Coach Paul Honsinger, Phoenicia Wright also comes to Eckerd College by way of the College of Saint Rose and will assume assistant coaching duties for the Tritons.

Prior to Eckerd, Wright spent three years as an assistant coach for the Golden Knight's where, like her duties at EC, she was involved in all aspects of the Saint Rose women's basketball program including player development, weight training, recruiting and tape exchange along with her primary courtside duties helping to guide the team's performance on the court.

Wright, a 2002 graduate of the University of New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut, received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and was a four-year starter for the Chargers women's basketball team.  During her time on the court she paced the club in rebounding during each of her four years en route to becoming the third all-time leading rebounder in New Haven's history with 1,016.  She also served as the team's co-captain and recorded two of the school's top-10 single-season field goal percentages throughout her career.

One of the biggest honors of Wright's career came when she was honored as a recipent of the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award for her academic and athletic accomplishments.  The award is given by Black Issues in Higher Education which selected its winners from more than 560 nominations.  Nominees must be student-athletes of color who have a GPA greater than 3.0 and are members of an intercollegiate athletics team.  Community service is also a consideration in selecting the winners.

In addition to her committment to the Tritons, Wright, who received her Master's Degree in Psychology from the College of Saint Rose in 2006, is currently a school psychologist for the Pinellas County School System and resides in St. Petersburg.