Colgate continues its basketball resurgence under head coach Nicci Hays Fort.
The Raiders in 2014-15 broke several records using the hallmarks of the Hays Fort coaching style: strong defense, bench play and attention to detail at the free-throw line.
Colgate won its final three conference games and wound up 7-11 in the Patriot League in 2014-15, posting its most league wins since the 2003-04 championship team went 10-4. The Raiders then went on to add another victory at home in the first round of the Patriot League tournament.
The three-game league regular-season winning streak to end the campaign was Colgate’s best in conference play since 2010. Colgate also sported its best conference winning percentage (.389) since the 2005-06 squad went 6-8 (.429).
The Raiders’ 15-of-16 performance from the free-throw line in the two games of the Patriot League tournament lifted Colgate to 72.0 percent for the season. That is a program record, just eclipsing the 71.9 by the 2004-05 Patriot League tournament champions.
Colgate at one point in 2012-13 led all of Division I in free-throw shooting before finishing at 71.2 percent. The Raiders in a 2013 upset win over top-seeded Army held the Black Knights to 40 points, an all-time scoring low by a No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. And Colgate's bench outscored its opposition over the course of that season by nearly 10 points per game.
Those trends continued in 2013-14, when the Raiders upped both their conference victory total and winning percentage, and made a vast improvement in their overall Rating Percentage Index. Included was another win over eventual Patriot League champion Army.
One reason for the program's steadying foundation is Hays Fort following through on her promise of providing her team with playing opportunities in the best possible women's basketball environments.
"Every year, we strive to play teams that have participated in postseason play, thus challenging ourselves to compete against some of the most competitive teams regionally," she said.
Back in her debut season at Colgate, the Raiders managed to win five of seven home Patriot League contests en route to a 5-9 conference mark. During the 2012-13 season, Colgate upset top-seeded Army in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on its way to a two-game overall improvement and 10-win season.
Hays Fort has compiled 15 years of college coaching experience at every level of NCAA basketball.
She arrived in Hamilton after serving as the associate head coach at DePaul University under the mentorship of successful head basketball coach Doug Bruno. The Blue Demons were 112-54 (.675) during her association with the program, having guided the team to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance, five NCAA tournaments and a top-10 national ranking.
Hays Fort mentored 14 All-Big East Conference performers and two Big East Scholar-Athletes of the Year. In addition, she coached three WNBA draft picks: Felicia Chester of the Minnesota Lynx, Allie Quigley of the Seattle Storm and Jenna Rubino of the Chicago Sky.
As DePaul's recruiting coordinator, Hays Fort was responsible for bringing in Keisha Hampton, who played on the USA Basketball team; Katherine Harry, who was a unanimous selection to the All-Big East Freshmen Team; and Anna Martin, the Gatorade Player of the Year runner-up for Kentucky and a member of the Big East All-Academic Team.
During her tenure with DePaul, the team consistently was ranked in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Academic Poll. Bruno said of his former assistant, “Nicci was the backbone of our staff through her successful five-year run. We had our best season in school history and Nicci Hays Fort played a vital role in our success. Her work ethic and her energy are second to none.”
Prior to DePaul, Hays Fort served as head coach and assistant compliance coordinator at Barry in Miami Shores, Florida.
She recruited and guided the Division II program to seven All-Sunshine State Conference selections, the SSC Freshman of the Year and three SSC All-Freshmen picks. In addition, she had 10 student-athletes named to the SSC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.
The Buccaneers under Hays Fort sported records of 14-14 in 2003-04, and 15-13 in 2004-05. Her overall record for four seasons as head coach was 48-65. She is now 83-152 for her career and 35-87 at Colgate.
The Monroe City, Missouri, native served as an assistant coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, from 2000-02. The Colonels staff and team continually outperformed it's higher-ranked opponents.
Hays Fort was one of the youngest head coaches in the country when she was hired by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1998 to form the women’s basketball program. She coached basketball as a club sport in its inaugural seasons on campus, and also coached varsity softball while at the Kings Point, New York, institution from 1998-2000.
During her time with the Mariners, Hays Fort recruited five players who would go on to set personal and team records for the Academy in both basketball and softball.
An elected team captain and member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council, Hays Fort was a two-sport student-athlete in basketball and softball at Truman State in Kirksville, Mo., before finishing her career at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Culver-Stockton in 1998, with a major in psychology and a minor in mathematics.
Hays Fort is married to Gregg Fort, who serves as Vice President for College Advancement at Hartwick College. Her sister, Ashley Hays Moore, was a four-year varsity letterwinner and captain on the Missouri softball team. She now serves as Missouri’s Senior Director of External Engagement.
