Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Harry Perretta used to joke that watching Jenn Beisel play basketball made him feel old. That’s because the former Villanova coach recruited Jenn’s big sister, Kathie, as a very young Jenn ran around in the bleachers. Yet the same qualities that made Kathie a fit for the Wildcats (and a Villanova Hall of Famer), caught Perretta’s eye when he watched Jenn - smart defenders, reliable rebounders.

The younger Beisel lived up to her Hall of Fame coach’s scout. She would graduate with more than 450 rebounds and Perretta’s respect as one of the best defenders he’d coached to that point. She added 1,050 points to her resume, earning her a spot alongside her sister in the Big 5 Hall of Fame.

She did all of this while also raising her daughter, Hunter. After getting pregnant as a high school senior, Beisel opted to defer her enrollment at Villanova for a year. On senior night, 4-year-old, Hunter, escorted her mother on court. A few months later she married Hunter’s father, Ron Filippo. Hunter is now the oldest of nine children.