WEIRTON – Joanna Bernabei is one of the finest female hoopsters to ever grace OVAC hardwoods.

Bernabei scripted a sparkling Weirton Madonna career. She led the Lady Blue Dons to three straight state tournament appearances. The exclamation point being a state championship her senior season as Madonna rolled to a 24-2 record.

Bernabei selected West Liberty to continue her academic and basketball careers. She again authored a brilliant basketball resume.

Now, Bernabei is excelling as a head college hoops coach. She is married to Joe McNamee and is in her third season as the head coach of the University of Pikeville (Ky.)

Bernabei, who entered the campaign with a 37-27 record with the Lady Bears, has her charges in the midst of a magical season. Pikeville, a member of the Mid-South Conference, is 17-1 on the campaign and the No. 16th-ranked NAIA Division I squad.

The lone blemish came Saturday as the visiting Bears fell to Campbellsville, 67-54. Campbellsville is the nation’s No. 1-rated NAIA squad.

This season’s success comes on the heels of last year’s 23-9 campaign, one in which the Lady Bears gained a berth in the national tournament. It was the team’s first trip to the national event since 2003.

“This may sound cocky, but I always think my teams will be successful. Even my first season here I thought we would go undefeated; it’s the unrealistic competitor in me, it’s also why every loss hurts so badly,” Bernabei said. “Before going to the conference tournament last year, I had my team practice cutting down the nets (I stole that from the great Jim Valvano). I’m sure we will do the same this year.

“I truly love the young ladies on this team. They have character and work hard without caring who gets the credit,” she added. “That is something I am very proud of. Our heart definitely makes up for our lack of size.”

When Bernabei first came to Pikeville she was entering uncharted waters. The NAIA program was worlds away from what she was accustomed to at her previous coaching stops. She was an assistant and recruiting coordinator with Maryland for several seasons and helped the Lady Terps win the national title in 2006.

“When I took the position here at that University of Pikeville three years ago, I really didn’t know what to expect. Although most of my coaching experience had been at the major NCAA Division 1 level, I played at West Liberty and absolutely loved my time there and I felt that I could build the same type of environment that Lynn Ullom built at West Liberty,”Bernabei offered. “So that is the mindset I had coming into this job. My first year was tough and I often questioned if I had made the right decision. As my second year unfolded and the team started to take on that tough winner mentality, I knew I had made a good decision and I felt like I was making a difference in these young ladies lives – as a coach that is my number one priority.

Bernabei cut her coaching teeth at West Virginia Wesleyan. That was followed by stops at Eastern Kentucky, West Virginia and the University of Maryland.

She also took a coaching respite after her Terps’ tenure.

“I was pregnant with my oldest son Luke (now 9) when we won the national championship at Maryland. He was born in October 2006. Then two months later I was pregnant with my younger son, Caden (now 8),” Bernabei said. “In May, after the 2007 season at Maryland, I decided to take a “raising kids sabbatical” from coaching and be a full time mommy. Caden was born in September of 2007.

“It was a very tough decision to leave Maryland. I loved my job, the players and the coaching staff. They were my family. Coaching at that level requires not only long hours, but it also demands a lot of travel away from home,” she added. “Having my boys 11 months apart, I really wanted to raise them at least until they started school fulltime. I missed coaching, but I wouldn’t trade the years I got to spend with my boys for anything. I am so thankful that my husband, Joe, had a good job that allowed for me to do that.”

Bernabei was named captain of the West Virginia Class A all-state team and captain of the OVAC Class A-AA West Virginia team when basketball was a fall sport in her senior season at Madonna. The multi-talented guard finished her prep career with 1,002 points and more than 500 career assists. She also starred in tennis and track for the Lady Dons.

Her career at West Liberty was just as impressive.

The 1997 Hilltopper grad tallied 1,317 points and dished out an NCAA Division II record 1,107 assists. She was named WVIAC Player of the Year and Division II All-American after her senior season. She was named first team all-conference all four years and was inducted to the West Liberty Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Our program became legit when we signed Joanna. I was confident that she was the key piece into building a winning program. Aside from her numerous skills and talent level, the attribute that made Joanna special was her competitiveness. I truly believe she was one of the most competitive basketball players in the history of the game,” Ullom said. “Joanna was so unselfish that she would do anything it takes to win. She was a pass-first point guard who could score when we needed her to.

“I’m not at all surprised at the success she’s enjoyed in the coaching profession. Many of the traits that made her a great player are also making her a great coach,” he added. “She is every bit as good of a person as she was a player. She has a unique ability to get people to follow her. She has traded leading her teammates to championships for now leading from the sidelines.”

BUBBA’S BITS

THE NFL stages its conference championship games Sunday. Denver hosts New England in the AFC. Peyton Manning is not the Peyton Manning of old. He is just old. His arm lacks pop. But the Broncos’ defense is stellar. Tom Brady has struggled playing in Denver in the past, winning just two of eight starts. I like the Broncos, 23-17. In the NFC, Carolina welcomes Arizona. The Panthers nearly blew a 31-0 lead against Seattle last weekend. Cam Newton is the league’s MVP this year. Panthers 24, Cardinals 20.

I TOOK in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Martin Luther King Day beat-down at the hands of the Golden Sate Warriors at the Q. It was a total embarrassment for the Cavs, trailing by 40 in the second half. One major difference between the two NBA finalists is in their offensive approach. The Cavaliers are a one-on-one stagnant offense. The Warriors, meanwhile, cut to the bucket, penetrate and kick it out to the open man. The champs are unselfish and enjoy the game. The Cavs would have been better off keeping Andrew Wiggins instead of trading him for Kevin Love.

IT DIDN’T take long for upsets to rear their heads in the Australian Open. Rafeal Nadal and Venus Williams were both bounced in the opening round. Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic are the players to beat.

Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonli

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