Assistant Coach Joanna Persiano (4th season)
High School: Holy Spirit
College: Widener University (2014)
Major: Education
A four-year women’s basketball letterwinner at Widener University, Joanna Persiano joined the Rutgers University-Camden coaching staff during the 2015-16 season and begins her four season with the Scarlet Raptors this winter.
Persiano ranks second on Widener’s career list with 171 three-pointers. She played in 95 games at Widener (2010-2014), averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. She scored 885 career points and added 242 rebounds, 187 assists and 101 steals. She shot 171-for-498 (.343) from three-point range for her career.
As a junior, Persiano averaged 6.8 points and dished off 51 assists. She played in 29 of the 30 games for the 2012-13 Widener team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite 8. She paced the Commonwealth Conference with a .424 three-point field goal percentage, going 50-for-118 to finish fifth in total treys. She also was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll.
During her senior season, Persiano captured All-MAC Honorable Mention while after leading Widener with 66 assists. She finished third on the Pride in both steals (23) and scoring (12.1 ppg).
An impact player since her freshman season, she played in 25 games and finished fourth in the conference with a .345 three-point field goal percentage that season. She stepped into the starting lineup as a sophomore, starting 18 of her 19 games, and collected career highs of 22 points and six three-pointers against Rowan University (Dec. 17, 2011).
A four-year scholastic varsity player at Atlantic City High School and Holy Spirit High School, Persiano graduated Widener in 2014 with a degree in Education. She served as a JV/assistant varsity basketball coach at Ridley High School during the 2014-15 season.
