Maria Marchesano ’05, who has led Purdue Fort Wayne to three consecutive 20-win seasons and postseason appearances, has been hired as the Head Coach of the Bulldogs’ Women’s Basketball program. Vice President and Director of Athletics Grant Leiendecker made the announcement Wednesday, April 8.
Marchesano’s 14-year head coaching career includes 234 wins across stops at Purdue Fort Wayne (five seasons), Mount St. Mary’s (four seasons), Walsh (three seasons), and Urbana (two seasons).
“We are excited to bring Maria home to Butler,” says Leiendecker. “She is a proven program-builder, a coach who has achieved success at every university she has been. Maria will bring her immense talent, energy, and commitment to Butler, a place that is incredibly special to her as someone who wore our jersey. Maria has a great vision for what our program can achieve and a solid plan on how to get there. The future is incredibly bright for Butler Women’s Basketball.”
After more than a decade climbing the NBA coaching ranks, Ron Nored ’12 is returning to the program where he helped author one of college basketball’s most memorable runs. Nored was the steady floor general behind back-to-back national championship game appearances under Brad Stevens, and now comes back to Hinkle Fieldhouse with a résumé shaped at the game’s highest level.
For Nored, the opportunity is so much more than a homecoming.
“The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program,” he says. “As a player, I poured blood, sweat, and tears into this program. No one appreciates the responsibility and potential that comes with this position more than me.”
That blend of reverence and urgency is exactly what Butler leadership was looking for. Vice President and Director of Athletics Grant Leiendecker made it clear this hire is about more than nostalgia.
“In a rapidly evolving college basketball landscape, our priority was identifying the absolute best leader to spearhead the future of Butler Basketball. Ronald Nored is that leader,” Leiendecker says. “Ron is a relentless worker with an elite basketball IQ and a proven track record of developing talent at the highest level. We didn’t hire him for his history here—we hired him for his vision of what we can become and how we will get there.”