Hall of Fame
Taking over a stagnant program that had never experienced a winning season at the NCAA Division II level, Paul Flores transformed Cal U Vulcan Women’s Basketball into a nationally respected perennial power. He is the first women’s basketball coach inducted into the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Having been involved with the Hall of Fame since its inception, I already knew what a great honor this is and was pretty much awestruck,” said Flores who has been a member of the Hall of Fame’s selection and banquet committees since 1994 as well as handling the emcee duties. “Over the years I have seen, met or heard about all the people that have been inducted and, it is quite a great group. This really hit a spot, and I’m pretty much taken back by this honor.”
Originally from Easton, Pa., and a graduate of Easton High School, Flores came to Cal U from his collegiate alma mater of East Stroudsburg University, where he had been the head coach of the Lady Warriors’ women’s basketball team for two-and-a-half seasons.
He compiled a 46-20 record at ESU and guided the 1984-85 squad to the PSAC-East championship and the school’s first PSAC championship game appearance in women’s basketball. Flores earned his bachelor’s degree in communications, radio and television and his master’s degree in second education/administration from ESU.
He became Cal U’s women’s basketball coach and associate athletic director less than two months before the start of the 1985-86 season. He inherited a program that had graduated two All-Americans from a 7-19 team the previous year. The daunting challenge was met with steady improvement.
Flores’ first of 10 Vulcan teams went 2-24 in 1985-86 and the 1986-87 team endured a 1-10 start before coming together to finish 10-16 overall.
Cal women’s basketball enjoyed its first winning season at the NCAA Division II varsity level in 1987-88 and finished with a 15-12 overall mark. The Vulcans also received a bid and competed at the prestigious ECAC Championships in New York. This was the first post-season appearance ever by a Cal women’s basketball team at the NCAA level.
“That first winning season is something I’ll always remember and it really meant something,” Flores said. “Players such as Sandy Stodolsky, Tammy McIntire-Mandich, and Stephanie Myers were cornerstones in our attempt during the early years to turn the program around. That year was our first taste of success which we needed.”
Consistent improvement continued in 1988-89 as the Vulcan set a school-record with a 19-8 overall record and were ranked as high as 16th nationally at one point. This was Cal U’s first-ever NCAA national ranking. Cal also qualified for the PSAC post-season tourney for the first time ever, losing to eventual state champion Lock Haven.
The new decade began with familiar success as Flores’ 1989-90 team compiled an 18-9 overall record and a second straight 8-4 PSAC-West mark and playoff appearance.
A supposed rebuilding season in 1990-91 became yet another record setting year. Cal had graduated All-Americans Sandy Stodolsky and Tammy McIntire-Mandich the previous year but a young team jelled and produced a 20-8 season with a third consecutive trip to the PSAC playoffs. The 20 wins set a new single-season record. Cal’s winning ways continued with identical 18-8 overall records in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Flores guided the 1993-94 team to the greatest season in school history. Possessing what are still the school’s career leaders in scoring, assists, and rebounds, the 1993-94 Vulcans compiled a school-best 21-8 overall record and 9-3 PSAC-West mark. Cal hosted the PSAC Final Four and whipped ESU by nearly 30 points in the PSAC semifinals before losing by two points to Clarion in a classic final. That team received Cal U’s first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II post-season tournament and completed a remarkable seven-year run of winning seasons, which culminated with a 129-61 (.680) cumulative record. Flores was selected as the 1994 PSAC-West Coach of the Year. He retired after the 1994-95 season and still serves as an associate athletic director.
“That season was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” said Flores. “Great coaches become great coaches when they learn to recruit great coaches and give them meaningful work. At the same time, John Wooden would not have been a great coach without great players, and we had such excellent senior leadership with Traci Cox, Lara Thronton, and Lori Richelderfer. Receiving our NCAA lapels and competing in the NCAA Tournament was special.”
Beating his old team to reach the state championship game added to the big year.
“Every time we played East Stroudsburg I was an emotional case,” said Flores. “The kids sensed what it meant to me and there was no way they were going to lose in our gym against my old team.”
Flores retired after the 1994-1995 season and serves as an associate athletic director. He was also the executive director of the Vulcan Sports network and did extensive work with Cal U’s national award-wining television (CUTV) and radio (WVCS) stations.
“The best part of working with our television and radio kids was that I was still working and interacting with students on a daily basis,” Flores said. “I had so many kids work with me as broadcasting partners at games. It was a lot of fun.”
He won 152 games at Cal and averaged 18 wins a year over his final eight seasons. Flores is the only basketball coach in PSAC history to receive Conference Coach of the Year honors in both divisions.
“From day one, our program and I received tremendous backing from the administration,” said Flores, whose Cal coaching career spanned over two presidents, athletic directors, and vice presidents. “Sometimes we did not always get what we wanted right away, but I always had an audience that would listen. That administration has always been a tremendous supporter of athletics as a whole.”
Flores and his wife, Tammy, reside in North Strabane Township with their 12 year-old twin sons, Jarrod, and Casey. The couple also has a grown son, Jason a Cal U graduate.
“California University has probably been the biggest factor in my family’s life,” Flores said. “We started a new life when we came here, and it was perfect match for us.”
Flores, who lauded the unprecedented success of the current and head coach Darcie Vincent, looks back at his coaching career with understandable satisfaction.
“My proudest part of this job was that my assistants and I brought in kids that stayed here and graduated,” said Flores. “Players are more than nets, sneakers and helping them improve as individuals is what it is all about. I hope that their experience with our program helped give them great confidence to go and get a good job.”
