Following a decorated playing and assistant coaching career, Joy McCorvey was finally handed a program’s reins when she was named the head coach of the Stony Brook women’s basketball team in April 2024, replacing Ashley Langford, who departed for her alma mater.
In her first season in charge of the Seawolves, McCorvey faced her fair share of ups and downs. Stony Brook finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 12-18 overall and 7-11 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record, and it was eliminated in the First Round of the 2025 CAA Championship. However, it is also important to take into consideration that McCorvey took over in the midst of a rebuild, with three of the Seawolves’ starters from last year’s team that was one game away from an NCAA Tournament berth exiting, along with their sixth woman.
Two weeks after Stony Brook’s season concluded, The Statesman spoke with McCorvey about her inaugural experience as the Seawolves’ leader.
A primary theme of the conversation revolved around how, while McCorvey hoped to do better from a record standpoint, she was immensely proud of the team’s growth both on and off the court.
“Our players were asked to step into major roles that were different from their roles last year,” McCorvey said in an interview with The Statesman. “And I thought that they handled that well and grew within the season.”
Guards Zaida Gonzalez, Breauna Ware and Shamarla King were some of the players McCorvey highlighted when praising her squad’s evolution. All three upped their statistics significantly this year compared to last, especially Gonzalez. She went from taking 268 shots and averaging 8.0 points per game in the 2023-24 campaign to putting up 491 shots and posting 16.0 points per contest this season — ranking fourth in the conference in scoring.
“I’m very proud of their growth and gaining confidence throughout the season,” McCorvey said. “Really making strides within their game.”
Another point that McCorvey emphasized was the team’s performance academically, going above and beyond not solely on the hardwood.
“We had two players with a 4.0, and then a few others with over a 3.5,” McCorvey said. “Dean’s List, CAA honor roll, 12 players over a 3.0 GPA. [Those are] definitely major accomplishments. So very proud of that.”
One of the biggest challenges faced by Stony Brook this year was injuries. However, while these injuries prevented key players from being on the court, it allowed for teammates to build stronger bonds with each other through hardship for the Seawolves.
“Adversity kept us at the forefront of staying in the process,” McCorvey said. “Getting one percent better every day, not getting discouraged at the results, but staying in the results of the process and who we were becoming through adversity as a team, individually, but also as a team.”
The most important takeaway from this season for Stony Brook, is, in McCorvey’s words, “when things get tough, you remain faithful to the things that are required to become great.”
With the academic year winding down, McCorvey is already looking forward to what awaits the Seawolves in the next basketball season. Six players on Stony Brook’s roster are graduating, but despite these losses, McCorvey is optimistic about the incoming additions to the team.
“We’re bringing in four freshmen next year and then we will add a few transfers to complete our team,” McCorvey said.
The Seawolves’ head coach upholds high expectations for next campaign, relaying that she would like the team to return to the head of the CAA table and contend for a championship.
“That is definitely an expectation moving forward and to build off this year,” McCorvey said. “To use those lessons that can help us take the steps needed to be back on top.”
