A prolific scorer in high school, where she scored more than 2,000 points, Lisa Angelotti Gedeka brought that same offensive mindset to Villanova. She would graduate as the team’s fourth all-time leading scorer, with 1,622 points, not to mention third on the all-time list for rebounding (854).Â
Angelotti arrived in Harry Perretta’s sixth season at Villanova, not long after the NCAA brought women’s basketball and it’s tournament under the national governing body’s umbrella. The young head coach (Perretta was just 22 when he was hired) already had enjoyed plenty of success, taking the Wildcats to the 1982 AIAW Final Four. Angelotti brought consistent excellence to Villanova. As a sophomore in 1986 and in tandem with fellow Hall of Famer Shelley Pennefeather, she helped Villanova earn its first NCAA Tournament berth, and proceeded to lead them back to the bracket in each of her final two seasons.Â
In 1988, as a senior, Angelotti averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting a sizzling 59 percent from the floor. Those numbers ensured that the Wildcats would continue their hold on Big East Player of the Year honors, with Angelotti assuming the title Pennefeather had earned the previous three seasons.
Villaova retired Angelotti’s jersey in 2022, and she has taken her basketball smarts to the coaching ranks. Angelotti has served as the head coach of her alma mater, Gloucester Catholic, for more than 30 years, and ranks as South Jersey’s all-time winningest girls’ basketball coach. One of her players - her daughter, Mary - followed in her mother’s footsteps. Mary earned Big East Sixth Woman of the Year honors in her four years.
