Laura Pruitt took over the Chestnut Hill College women’s basketball program following the 2010-2011 season. After several successful seasons as a player and coach at Dowling College, Pruitt assumed her first head coaching position with the Griffins. Additionally, Pruitt was named the Fitness Center Monitor in July of 2011. She assists the Director of Fitness and Recreation with all duties associated with the Chestnut Hill College Fitness Center, the Fournier Pool, and the College's Intramural and Recreation programs.
Pruitt has been a fixture on the Dowling College sidelines since 2002; first as a 1,000-point scorer and later as the “right-hand” women for the Lions’, well-respected, Head Coach Joe Pellicane. Under Coach Pellicane, Pruitt helped facilitate a 57-23 five-year record with the top nation’s top defensive units as the 2010-2011 Golden Lions led in the NCAA DII in opponent’s field goal percentage by holding its foes to a 32.1% (585-for-1,823) success rate. She also contributed to the recruitment and development of several all-conference student-athletes; including the 2010 East Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, Julia Koppl (Innsbrook, Austria).
As a student-athlete, Pruitt was a highly decorated member of the Golden Lions. She ranks sixth all-time in scoring with 1,146 career points and holds the school record for career three-point field goals with 227. Her career-high 33 points still stands as a program single-game record, as does the eight, three-point field goals that she hit to make it happen. Pruitt helped lead the Golden Lions to a New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) Championship and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship Tournament appearance in 2003. In her senior season, Pruitt was named an All-NYCAC first team selection and New York area All-Met honoree.
Pruitt graduated from Dowling College in 2005 with a degree in biology and later earned a master’s degree in adolescent education in 2009.
