Alisa Kresge (born April 1, 1985) is a former American women's basketball player and current coach. She is the head coach of the Vermont Catamounts women's basketball team.[1]
Kresge played at Marist where she was part of four MAAC regular season title teams, and three MAAC tournament championship teams. With the Red Foxes, Kresge made three NCAA Tournament appearances as a player, culminating in a Sweet 16 appearance in 2007.[2] She graduated as the school's all-time leader in assists with 596, and second all-time in steals with 222.[1]
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In 2009, Kresge joined the coaching staff of her alma mater under Brian Giorgis.[4] The Red Foxes would reach the postseason six of the eight years she was on staff with five NCAA Tournament appearances and a WNIT appearance.
Kresge joined the coaching staff at Vermont in 2016, serving as associate head coach under Chris Day.[1] After Day resigned his position amid an investigation into his verbal conduct and subsequently took an assistant coaching position at La Salle, Kresge was given the title of interim head coach for the 2018–19 season.[5]
During her interim coaching season, Kresge guided the Catamounts to its best record in nearly a decade going 11–18 overall for the most wins since the 2009–10 season.[6] On April 9, 2019 the interim tag was officially lifted and Kresge was named the ninth head coach in Vermont women's basketball history.[7] During the 2021–22 season, Kresge led the Catamounts to the first 20-win season since the 2009–10 season, finishing with a 20–11 overall record and an appearance in the semifinals of the 2022 America East tournament.[8] The following season, the Catamounts claimed the America East regular season title for the first time in 21 years, and the America East tournament title for the first time since 2010, earning an appearance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.[9][10] Vermont faced second-seeded UConn, falling 95–52.[11]
The 2023–24 season saw Kresge guide Vermont to a 25–12 overall record, earning the team a berth in the 2024 WNIT, where it won three games en route to the Fab 4, falling to Saint Louis at Patrick Gym 57–54.[12]