On Wednesday, April 17, it was formally announced that the Marquette women’s basketball team had found their new head coach Cara Consuegra.
After a brief stint in the WNBA, Consuegra became an assistant at Marquette from 2004-2011, before spending 13 years as the head coach at Charlotte and amassing a 225-169 record.
Marquette valued her history with the program in its decision. After Duffy’s departure, they were in dire need of a veteran presence that could jumpstart the rebuild.
During her 13 seasons at Charlotte, she led the 49ers in a tough conference and even won the Conference USA in the 2021-22 season. Having a coach with her wealth of experience back to Marquette will send the program in the right direction.
“I would say I build people,” Consuegra said. “Coaching is my dream. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. But ultimately for me, it is a vehicle to help me help young people grow, learn and prepare them for life.”
Her steady track record brings a sense of anticipation and optimism to the Marquette faithful. Another huge change will be joining the Big East and competing in an extremely tough division with historic teams like UConn.
Consuegra spent a lot of time in Charlotte and should be given time at Marquette to establish her system and recruiting. Marquette has a rabid and passionate fanbase who are hungry for success. Although they may be especially eager to see instant results, they should divert their energy into supporting the squad for now and giving them time to build up a successful program with Consuegra.
The Big East is one of the best conferences in basketball and teams like UConn look ready to win yet another national championship. Consuegra has history with Marquette and the fans should get behind her and back the team through wins and losses. Coaching a new team from scratch is no easy task and expectations shouldn’t be overly high.
As students and the rest of the fans eagerly wait for the arrival of the upcoming season, all eyes are focused on Consuegra and the changes she will implement. Marquette may need to look for more recruits late in the game as there were de-commits with the announcements of Duffy’s departure. In fact, the day she was announced, a new recruit signed to the team.
Duffy had limited success but did build contending rosters and made the national tournament multiple times. Although there was limited success near the end of her tenure, a lot of amazing players played in the program under Duffy and her impact shouldn’t be understated or forgotten.
Consuegra is now the third head coach in the last 10 years and should look to establish and maintain a successful and contending era at Marquette. Ensuring the roster is ready to compete right now is an important factor that she will have to look into immediately. The transfer portal should be key as players are already beginning to find their new homes.
Marquette lost their entire starting lineup from last season and will need to dig deep in the portal or risk the chance of starting an inexperienced youthful core. Consuegra will need to adjust fast in the Big East and push for her style or they’ll be eaten alive by talented teams.
Consuegra should try to find, or make, a star that they can look for to compete in a tough conference. Charlotte could fall victim to our robbing if Consuegra does decide to raid her former roster of her most trusted players.
The anticipation of the announcement for a new coach was huge and the team is now ready to bring their season with their new leader.
Consuegra should lead the team on and off the court and progress to a new era with her at the wheel.
This story was written by Conor McPherson. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X at @ConorMcPherson_.
