Manhattanville Athletics Hall of Fame
Larry Holten passed away in July of 2000 and was posthumously inducted in 2019. He spent eight seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball team and is the all-time winningest coach in program history (140 wins). He also coached the most games in program history (222) and leads with a .631 winning percentage (140-82). Holten’s standout 1981-82 squad remains the only team to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Holten led his squads to back-to-back NYSAIAW Tournament championships in 1981 and 1982, as well as the NCAAs in 1982. Those were also the two winningest seasons in program history (23-10, 23-8) as well as the only years the program has attained a national ranking (then by the American Women’s Sports Federation), reaching as high as No. 7 in 1982. In 1983-84, the Valiants continued its success by claiming the ECAC Metro Tournament Championship. Overall, Holten guided the Valiants to seven consecutive NYSAIAW Tournament berths from 1980-86.
Individually, Holten guided all or part of the careers of six of the program’s 16 1,000-point scorers, led most prominently by fellow Hall of Famer Theresa Carey (‘82, HOF ‘14), the program’s all-time leading scorer. Holten mentored the three-time All-American during her final three seasons as the Valiants saw a multitude of success. Carey eventually joined Holten’s staff during his final season on the bench in 1986-87.
At the time of Holten’s resignation in April of 1987, then-Director of Athletics and Recreation Tom Weingartner said: “Larry will be impossible to replace. He put our women’s program on the map. We will miss his good humor, genuine concern for the college and most of all his abilities as a phenomenal basketball coach.”
Holten said: “I’ll treasure both the players from the past and present and my colleagues. They were a pleasure and I feel lucky to have been associated with such a fine group of individuals. As much as I’ve given to this program, it is impossible to measure what I have gotten back in enjoyment. Manhattanville will always be very special to me.”
