Women's Basketball
Koclanes, Belle
Belle Koclanes
- Title:
- Assistant Women's Basketball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- mck337@drexel.edu
- Phone:
- 215-895-1971
Belle Koclanes was named to the Drexel women's basketball coaching staff on July 13, 2022. She brings with her more than a decade of coaching experience at the Division I level.
In 2023-24, Koclanes helped guide the Dragons to their third CAA Title after completing a seven-game win streak to end the season. In part, Drexel pushed its postseason streak to 10 straight years. The Dragons completed its historic run by defeating No. 10 Delaware in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals, where they would have a postseason rematch, with the No. 2 Monmouth Hawks defeating them, 58-56, to earn a spot in the conference semifinals against Towson. In the semis, Drexel hit a buzzer-beater with three seconds remaining to down the Tigers and face the top-seeded Stony Brook. The Dragons defeated the Seawolves 68-60. Drexel entered the NCAA Tournament as the 16th seed and played the top-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
In her first season on the Dragons’ bench, Drexel posted its sixth consecutive full season with 20 or more wins and went to their ninth consecutive national postseason tournament while multiple players earned All-Conference and national honors.
Prior to Drexel, Koclanes most recently spent eight years as the head coach at Dartmouth. In her second season with the Big Green, she helped engineer a nine-game improvement as the team turned in a 14-14 record, its first season with double-figure wins in five years and the first time in six seasons that Dartmouth was .500 or better. Her success continued as the 2017-18 team posted a 15-12 mark.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be part of this incredible Drexel women's basketball family,” said Koclanes. The championship culture and tradition that Coach Mallon continues to create serves as a model for collegiate programs across the country. My family and I are grateful to be Dragons!”
Prior to Dartmouth, Koclanes worked for two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at American University, helping the Eagles to a 45-17 record including the first 14-0 mark in Patriot League history and a berth in the 2012 WNIT.
No stranger to the CAA or Philadelphia, she was an assistant coach for three seasons at Old Dominion from 2008-11, mentoring the Monarchs to a 56-38 record and two trips to the WNIT. She got her coaching start across University City at Penn where she worked for four years.
Most recently, Koclanes took a season away from the collegiate ranks to serve as the president of Strive: How You Lead Matters, a non-profit organization located in Wilmington, Del., dedicated to spreading the power of character-driven leadership.
A standout as a player, Koclanes was a three-year captain at the University of Richmond where she graduated as the Spiders’ all-time leader in assists and was a First Team All-Conference performer in 2001. She would go on to play professionally in Greece and Bulgaria.
Koclanes earned her bachelor’s in leadership studies at Richmond and her master’s in culture and communication from NYU.
In 2023-24, Koclanes helped guide the Dragons to their third CAA Title after completing a seven-game win streak to end the season. In part, Drexel pushed its postseason streak to 10 straight years. The Dragons completed its historic run by defeating No. 10 Delaware in the second round to advance to the quarterfinals, where they would have a postseason rematch, with the No. 2 Monmouth Hawks defeating them, 58-56, to earn a spot in the conference semifinals against Towson. In the semis, Drexel hit a buzzer-beater with three seconds remaining to down the Tigers and face the top-seeded Stony Brook. The Dragons defeated the Seawolves 68-60. Drexel entered the NCAA Tournament as the 16th seed and played the top-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
In her first season on the Dragons’ bench, Drexel posted its sixth consecutive full season with 20 or more wins and went to their ninth consecutive national postseason tournament while multiple players earned All-Conference and national honors.
Prior to Drexel, Koclanes most recently spent eight years as the head coach at Dartmouth. In her second season with the Big Green, she helped engineer a nine-game improvement as the team turned in a 14-14 record, its first season with double-figure wins in five years and the first time in six seasons that Dartmouth was .500 or better. Her success continued as the 2017-18 team posted a 15-12 mark.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to be part of this incredible Drexel women's basketball family,” said Koclanes. The championship culture and tradition that Coach Mallon continues to create serves as a model for collegiate programs across the country. My family and I are grateful to be Dragons!”
Prior to Dartmouth, Koclanes worked for two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at American University, helping the Eagles to a 45-17 record including the first 14-0 mark in Patriot League history and a berth in the 2012 WNIT.
No stranger to the CAA or Philadelphia, she was an assistant coach for three seasons at Old Dominion from 2008-11, mentoring the Monarchs to a 56-38 record and two trips to the WNIT. She got her coaching start across University City at Penn where she worked for four years.
Most recently, Koclanes took a season away from the collegiate ranks to serve as the president of Strive: How You Lead Matters, a non-profit organization located in Wilmington, Del., dedicated to spreading the power of character-driven leadership.
A standout as a player, Koclanes was a three-year captain at the University of Richmond where she graduated as the Spiders’ all-time leader in assists and was a First Team All-Conference performer in 2001. She would go on to play professionally in Greece and Bulgaria.
Koclanes earned her bachelor’s in leadership studies at Richmond and her master’s in culture and communication from NYU.
Drexel Women's Basketball vs Campbell Game Melt 3-2-25
Sunday, March 02
Drexel Women's Basketball vs Monmouth Game Melt 2-28-25
Friday, February 28
Drexel Women's Basketball vs William & Mary Game Melt 2-14-25
Friday, February 14
Drexel Women's Basketball vs Towson Game Melt 2-2-22
Sunday, February 02
