Both of the Johns Hopkins basketball teams excelled throughout the 2022-23 season, earning NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.
Men’s basketball coach Josh Loeffler and women’s basketball coach Katherine Bixby combined for a 46-11 record this season. Loeffler and Bixby share a similar path, having arrived at Hopkins in 2017 to replace legendary coaches who had been the leader of the basketball teams for 30-plus years.
They both have high praise for the success the other has had since they came to Baltimore six years ago.
“Being able to work alongside Coach Loeffler has been an honor,” Bixby said on Glenn Clark Radio March 2. “He’s a legend and he’s so brilliant. Just watching him work has challenged me to be a better coach. I feel so fortunate to be able to watch his brilliance from afar.”
“It is really special to have two basketball programs both competing in the NCAA Tournament and it’s really nice to do it alongside someone who has a program that is as well-run and classy as Coach Bixby’s,” Loeffler said in the same interview.
The Hopkins women’s team ultimately suffered a first-round exit on March 3. The Blue Jays fell to Skidmore, 62-59, a disappointing end to their season after finishing on top of the Centennial Conference standings with a 17-3 record. Bixby’s team will have a chance to build on its success next year, as the Blue Jays’ rotation featured a lot of youth.
The biggest impact member of this year’s team was graduate forward Olivia Parisi, who transferred to Hopkins from Hobart and William Smith ahead of the season. During her one season in Baltimore, Parisi led the team in scoring (11.4 points per game) and was second in rebounding (5.7).
“We do have seven seniors and a grad student on the team and it’s been really exciting to have this opportunity for them,” Bixby said. “… We came in with seven and we’re leaving with seven. Through the COVID year and all that, I think they have been great leaders.”
The men’s team is still alive in the NCAA Tournament after winning its first- and second-round games on March 3 and 4, respectively.
Despite losing graduate forward Tom Quarry and graduate guard Ethan Bartlett to season-ending injuries this year, the Blue Jays have fought through the adversity. Johns Hopkins still finished in second place in the Centennial Conference with a 16-2 record.
“I think we have good depth,” Loeffler said. “I think it’s one of the things that allow us to deal with it. I would say Tom and Ethan have … stayed engaged with the team, they’ve stayed on the track of helping to lead, being there daily, talking to everybody.”
In each of their NCAA Tournament games so far, the Blue Jays have had four players score in double figures. Graduate guard Jayden Nixon scored 14 points in each game, while sophomore guard John Windley exploded for 23 points in the Blue Jays’ first-round victory and senior guard Carson James for 26 in the second-round win.
The men’s team will continue its NCAA Tournament run in the Sweet 16 on Friday, March 10 at 4 p.m. against Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“The NCAA Tournament is such a great event, it’s such a fun event,” Loeffler said. “The attention to March Madness and all of it is really exciting and it’s well deserved for these student-athletes on both teams. But the reality of March Madness is that you’re playing really good teams night in and night out and if you don’t play well you can go home.”
For more from Bixby and Loeffler, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletics