Villanova Univeristy Athletics

VILLANOVA WOMEN ON THE RISE Q&A SERIES
Meet Lisa & Mary Gedaka

This is our second installment of our Empowering Women series! Today we’re sitting down with Mary Gedaka, current forward on the Women’s Basketball team and senior at Villanova, and her mother Lisa Gedaka, previous Villanova basketball player and current coach at Gloucester Catholic. Both women have and continue to achieve greatness both on and off the court. Read on to check out their story!

Sport: Women's Basketball

Mary, your mom was your coach at Gloucester Catholic, which I imagine was quite challenging at times. What were the biggest lesson/best advice your mom gave you?
[Mary]: The biggest lesson I learned from my mom as a coach was to always work hard. My mom has instilled the mentality of always working hard in every circumstance both on and off the court. When she was my coach in high school and was trying to teach me these types of lessons, I didn’t understand what it meant to work hard during every possession on the court. This valuable advice she has given me has allowed me to develop into the player I am today.

Mary, what’s your plan post-graduation this year?
I plan to attend graduate school and obtain my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy 

What made you choose Villanova?
[MARY]: Villanova has an excellent reputation in academics and athletics. When I visited campus, I felt like I was part of a family. Villanova University has been apart of my life from a young age, so I always knew I wanted to be apart of a special atmosphere like that. 

[LISA]: I knew I wanted to stay close to home and major in nursing. Villanova has one of the top nursing programs in the country and I was so impressed with Dean Fitzpatrick, who was also a big basketball fan. So the decision was easy for me to chose Villanova university. Academically and athletically it was a perfect fit. 

How has Villanova & being a female-student athlete on the basketball team helped to shape the person you are?
[MARY]: Being a female student-athlete at Villanova has helped to shape me into the person I am today by teaching me to always work hard in every circumstance I am in. It has also allowed me to be apart of something that is so much bigger than myself.  

[LISA]: The amazing Professors, coaches and people I met at Villanova taught me so many lessons that helped influence and shape me into the person I am today. Accountability, humility, selflessness and faith were at the core of their teachings. 

What’s your favorite memory from Villanova?
[MARY]: I don’t necessarily have one favorite memory from Villanova. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and play with so many incredible people over the past four years. Being able to make lifelong friendships with my teammates and play for great coaches has been my favorite memory. 

[LISA]: My teammates.  What an honor and a privilege to work everyday with my teammates for a common goal..to be the best team we could be and achieve far more together than individually. 

What does female empowerment mean to you?
[MARY]: To me, female empowerment means women sticking together despite adverse circumstances and being supportive of each other. I feel empowered and supported by my teammates every day because each of them works extremely hard to contribute to the greater good of the team. 

[LISA]: Female empowerment, to me, means strength, commitment, fearlessness, support to each other, visionary….exactly what a team or group with a common goal needs for success. 

Coach Perretta announced that he will be retiring following the 2019-20 season, after 42 years as the Wildcats head coach. If you could say anything to him, what would it be?
[MARY]: I would say thank you so much for the endless opportunities you have provided me with. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play for someone as highly regarded as you in women’s college basketball. Thank you for always having my back throughout my four years at Villanova. 

[LISA]: Thank you!!!!!! Thank you for giving my daughter, Mary and I the opportunity to attend this outstanding university and to wear the same uniform and play on the same court. But, most importantly, thank you for your friendship. 

Lisa, you’ve had a very successful career to-date starting with your time at Villanova. You were named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the year as a senior, were inducted into the Big Five Hall of Fame and became the fifth Villanova women’s basketball player to have your jersey retired. Since graduating you have spent the last 29 years as the head coach of women’s basketball at Gloucester Catholic – having won your 600th game last year, making you just the third South Jersey girl’s coach to reach the milestone. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am so grateful and proud of  my teammates, because without them, nothing would have been possible. Everything we accomplished, we did it together.

Lisa, what are the most rewarding aspects of being both a nurse and basketball coach?
As a nurse and coach, I love my patients and players and love teaching them. Both jobs are so rewarding because you are trying to make a difference in their lives. 

FAST FIVE

Mary Gedaka

Q: What are you binge watching?
A:  I am always watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians, it’s my favorite TV show.

Q: If you could have lunch with any woman, who would it be and why?
A: I would love to have lunch with Kris Jenner. She is an incredibly successful businesswoman and has built an incredible business empire for herself and her family over the past decade. She is a prime example of an individual who has worked hard to obtain her success. 

Q: What’s something a lot of people don’t know about you?
A:  I am the oldest of four siblings. I have two sisters, one of which is 19 and the other who is 17, and a brother who is 12. I come from an extremely close-knit immediate family. My siblings are my biggest supporters on the court and truly are my best friends 

Q: Favorite song on your Spotify rotation?
A:  How Do You Sleep by Sam Smith 

Q: Favorite sports team growing up
A: Philadelphia Phillies