Oliver Ames High School graduate Lauren Gosselin has been named the next head coach of the Princeton University women’s basketball program. (Photo Courtesy Princeton University)
EASTON — Easton Public Schools is proud to share that Lauren Gosselin (formerly Battista), a graduate of Oliver Ames High School and former standout on the school’s girls basketball team, has been named the next head coach of the Princeton University women’s basketball program.
Gosselin was appointed in April as the 11th head coach in program history. She had spent the previous seven seasons on Princeton’s coaching staff, most recently serving as associate head coach. During that time, the Tigers compiled a 147-29 overall record and won five Ivy League championships.
A four-year starter for Oliver Ames, Gosselin graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,667 points. She served as team captain her senior year and helped lead the Tigers to a state championship in 2010 with a 25-1 record. Gosselin also earned Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Brockton Enterprise All-Scholastic honors and became the first female Oliver Ames athlete to be named Gatorade Player of the Year.
“To say that I am proud of her isn’t quite enough. As a high school player at Oliver Ames, Lauren demonstrated a love for the game as well as a love for the experiences that she and her teammates shared,” said Oliver Ames girls basketball coach Elaine Clement-Holbrook. “We had a lot of fun when it was time for fun, but she was incredibly focused on being the best player that she could be. Lauren was a leader on and off the floor and did everything in her power to help us succeed at the highest level. I will be forever grateful for having had the chance to have been a part of her development as a player, but even more importantly helping her become the person she is today.”
After graduating from Oliver Ames, Gosselin went on to star at Bentley University from 2010 to 2014. She finished her career as the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer with more than 2,100 points and led Bentley to the 2014 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship with a 35-0 record. That season, she was named the WBCA Division II National Player of the Year and the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, and received the NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award.
“The district warmly congratulates Lauren for earning this well-deserved post,” said Superintendent Dr. Lisha Cabral. “We are also not surprised to see that she has the heart, dedication and commitment to the personal development of athletes that we see Coach Clement-Holbrook has always emulated for every team as OA’s program leader. We are confident Lauren will inspire continued greatness in her program, and we wish her the very best.”
Following her playing career, Gosselin completed a postgraduate internship with the National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball staff in 2016, helping coordinate the first combined Final Four for all three NCAA divisions in Indianapolis. She later served as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College while earning a master’s degree in leadership and administration, and was an assistant coach at Tufts University before joining the Princeton staff.
“It is an incredible honor to be named the next head coach of Princeton Women’s Basketball,” Gosselin said in a statement from the university. “I would like to thank John Mack, Greg Busch and the entire search committee for their trust and belief in me as I step into this new role. I also want to thank Carla Berube for being a leader, a mentor, and a friend who has empowered me over the last eight years and prepared me for this moment. From the moment I stepped on campus seven years ago, I fell in love with everything this university stands for — especially our mission of ‘Education Through Athletics.’ My time here has proven that it is the people who make this place truly special. Our student-athletes, alumni, staff, and campus community represent the very best, and I cannot wait to lead, learn and continue to grow alongside them. This is a special opportunity, and I am eager to carry the torch with pride and lead this storied program into its next chapter. There is no better place to develop champions — on the court, in the classroom, and in life.”
###