Fabbri Rounds Out Staff With Addition of Guastella '15
8/11/2023 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac University women's basketball Head Coach Tricia Fabbri announced the addition of alumnae Sam Guastella '15 as an assistant coach to the program on Friday, Aug. 11.
"It is with tremendous pride that I welcome back one of our very best to ever don the blue and gold uniform," Fabbri said. "Sam is a rising star in the coaching profession! As I continued to follow her career as a pro and coach, I knew if I had the opportunity to bring her home, I was going to!"
"I want to thank Coach Fabbri for this incredible opportunity to return home, where my basketball journey began," Guastella said. "I am elated to work with and learn from this incredible staff and cannot wait to get on the floor with this young team. It truly feels like a dream come true. Go Bobcats!"
Prior to joining Quinnipiac, Guastella served as an assistant coach at nearby Yale University, where she began the alumni mentorship program while developing student-athletes on and off the court and excelling in student-athlete recruitment and scouting reports for game preparation.
Before her time at Yale, Guastella spent two seasons at Temple, helping the Owls to a pair of American Athletic Conference Tournament appearances. Prior to that, she got her start in coaching as a graduate assistant at La Salle in 2018-19 and was elevated to an assistant coach role for the 2019-20 season. She helped the Explorers more than double their overall and Atlantic 10 win totals in her second year.
Guastella has experience in player development, practice execution, and scout preparation. At La Salle in 2019-20, she helped the Explorers to their first win over a Power 5 program (Penn State) since November 2015. She worked directly with guard/forward Kayla Spruill, helping her earn the Big 5 Most Improved Player Award after nearly doubling her points per game and tripling her rebounds per game.
Guastella's playing career was marked by success in Hamden, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, a couple of WNIT appearances, and a pair of conference championships at Quinnipiac.
She led the Bobcats to the best record in program history in 2014-15 (31-4). That included an undefeated conference mark of 20-0 and Quinnipiac's first MAAC Championship. She was a First Team All-MAAC selection and finished her career as the Bobcats' all-time leader with 225 career three-pointers. She also had the most career blocked shots (179) of anyone in QU's Division I era (since 1998-99) and served as team captain.
"I expect Sam to be as impactful on staff, just like she was as a student-athlete in our Quinnipiac community," Fabbri added.
After her college career ended Guastella began her pro career with BBC Etzella in Luxembourg. She averaged a team-best 19.8 points per game while adding 6.6 rebounds. Guastella led BBC Etzella to the semifinal round of the Luxembourg League playoffs in 2015-16. She then spent the 2016-17 season with T71 Dudelange in Luxembourg, leading the Total League in scoring (23.7 points per game).
Guastella spent February through April 2017 in Australia playing for Hume City in Melbourne. She then played for T71 Dudelange again in 2017-18, averaging 18.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and helping the team advance all the way to the Total League Championship before falling to Amicale.
A 2015 graduate of Quinnipiac, Guastella has a bachelor's degree in health sciences and was a MAAC All-Academic selection. She earned a master of business administration degree in marketing from La Salle in 2020. She is a native of Red Bank, N.J. and resides in New Haven.
To stay up to date with all Quinnipiac women's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @QU_WBB or visit www.gobobcats.com/wbb.
"It is with tremendous pride that I welcome back one of our very best to ever don the blue and gold uniform," Fabbri said. "Sam is a rising star in the coaching profession! As I continued to follow her career as a pro and coach, I knew if I had the opportunity to bring her home, I was going to!"
𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 🥹
— Quinnipiac Women's Basketball (@QU_WBB) August 11, 2023
A true dream come true, @SamGuastella has returned to Hamden and will be joining @QU_CoachFabbri as an assistant coach!
READ 📖 https://t.co/XtHj2EuaVf pic.twitter.com/yaxWa19qfR
"I want to thank Coach Fabbri for this incredible opportunity to return home, where my basketball journey began," Guastella said. "I am elated to work with and learn from this incredible staff and cannot wait to get on the floor with this young team. It truly feels like a dream come true. Go Bobcats!"
Prior to joining Quinnipiac, Guastella served as an assistant coach at nearby Yale University, where she began the alumni mentorship program while developing student-athletes on and off the court and excelling in student-athlete recruitment and scouting reports for game preparation.
Before her time at Yale, Guastella spent two seasons at Temple, helping the Owls to a pair of American Athletic Conference Tournament appearances. Prior to that, she got her start in coaching as a graduate assistant at La Salle in 2018-19 and was elevated to an assistant coach role for the 2019-20 season. She helped the Explorers more than double their overall and Atlantic 10 win totals in her second year.
Guastella has experience in player development, practice execution, and scout preparation. At La Salle in 2019-20, she helped the Explorers to their first win over a Power 5 program (Penn State) since November 2015. She worked directly with guard/forward Kayla Spruill, helping her earn the Big 5 Most Improved Player Award after nearly doubling her points per game and tripling her rebounds per game.
Guastella's playing career was marked by success in Hamden, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, a couple of WNIT appearances, and a pair of conference championships at Quinnipiac.
She led the Bobcats to the best record in program history in 2014-15 (31-4). That included an undefeated conference mark of 20-0 and Quinnipiac's first MAAC Championship. She was a First Team All-MAAC selection and finished her career as the Bobcats' all-time leader with 225 career three-pointers. She also had the most career blocked shots (179) of anyone in QU's Division I era (since 1998-99) and served as team captain.
"I expect Sam to be as impactful on staff, just like she was as a student-athlete in our Quinnipiac community," Fabbri added.
After her college career ended Guastella began her pro career with BBC Etzella in Luxembourg. She averaged a team-best 19.8 points per game while adding 6.6 rebounds. Guastella led BBC Etzella to the semifinal round of the Luxembourg League playoffs in 2015-16. She then spent the 2016-17 season with T71 Dudelange in Luxembourg, leading the Total League in scoring (23.7 points per game).
Guastella spent February through April 2017 in Australia playing for Hume City in Melbourne. She then played for T71 Dudelange again in 2017-18, averaging 18.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and helping the team advance all the way to the Total League Championship before falling to Amicale.
A 2015 graduate of Quinnipiac, Guastella has a bachelor's degree in health sciences and was a MAAC All-Academic selection. She earned a master of business administration degree in marketing from La Salle in 2020. She is a native of Red Bank, N.J. and resides in New Haven.
To stay up to date with all Quinnipiac women's basketball news, follow the program on Twitter/Instagram @QU_WBB or visit www.gobobcats.com/wbb.
Welcome to Bobcat Nation, Roman Owen
Tuesday, April 14
The Roar (pres. by Better Built Basements) - Episode 9: Tricia Fabbri
Wednesday, April 01
MAAC Women's Basketball Championship - Hype Video
Monday, March 09
Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball MAAC Tournament Hype Video
Thursday, March 05
