July 2, 2007:
Welcome to summer! I hope you are all finding the time to rest and relax before the new school year creeps up on us.

Once July hits, our staff is off and running. We drew straws and I picked Fiji. Yeah, lucky me! I head out July 4th and catch a flight with Mikaelar Whippy to see some players and do some clinics, but also to finally meet the Whippy and Nainima families. July 11th I head on to Auckland, New Zealand, where former LIU Blackbird Lana Kershaw will show me where all the great Kiwis play and introduce me to the Kershaw clan!

The rest of the staff will be covering a number of states and watch thousands of players in search for future Blackbirds.

We wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy summer. The 2007-08 season plans to be as bright as the August sun - so rest up for good times ahead!

Have a great summer,
Coach Gaitley
GO BLACKBIRDS!

April 19, 2007:
Dear Blackbird Fans,

Whew! What a ride it has been for Long Island Women’s Basketball. It has been a long and exciting adventure. After starting the season 0-3 we regrouped and finished with a school-best 22-9 record and a first-ever regular season NEC title as well as the school’s first-ever trip to the WNIT. Although it was a highly successful season on the hardwood, it is important for you to know that this was the nicest group of young ladies I have had the pleasure to coach in my 21 years of coaching.

Although we will miss the leadership and energy of the senior class, they did a wonderful job of laying the foundation for a winning program. Winning is now in the Blackbird blood.

With 10 letterwinners and the NEC Player of the Year returning, get your sunglasses on because the future is bright! We look forward to your support in 2007-08. Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy offseason.

GO BLACKBIRDS!

Coach Gaitley

March 1, 2007:
Dear Blackbird fans,

It's March Madness time! I just wanted to catch you up on your Blackbirds. We finished the regular season 15-3 in the conference. By doing this we secired the No. 1 seed and will host throughout the Northeast Conference Tournament, which begins this weekend. Our opening game is against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday, March 3 at 2:00 p.m.

There haven't been any record-breaking temperatures outside, but your Blackbirds have obviously rewritten the record books. We have secured the most out of conference wins (seven), conference wins (15) and overall wins (22) in school history. We also enjoyed a school-record 13 straight wins through January and early February. You can also find your Blackbirds in the top 20 of the nation rankings in scoring defense, three-point percentage, turnovers per game and free-throw percentage.

So, March Madness will begin right here at the Wellness Center this Saturday. Come support your Blackbirds and be our sixth man - WE NEED YOU!

Go Blackbirds,

Coach Gaitley

Jan. 31, 2007:
Dear Blackbird fans,

Can you believe it is February already? To be honest, we didn’t want January to end. It was a very good month for the Blackbirds. (School record 10 straight victories!)

The New Year kicked off with a win on the road at Monmouth and finished with a road win at reigning NEC Champs Sacred Heart.

Your Blackbirds are currently in first place as we head into the stretch run in conference play. We kick February off at home against borough rival Wagner. We will also be kicking off our first ever Alumni Day. We look forward to welcoming back all the former Blackbirds and their loved ones. I think they will be excited to see the new facility and also catch up with old friends and teammates. Come early and catch the alumni game and see your favorites from the past.

Alumni Day covers the past but lets talk for a second about the present. After starting the season 0-3, the Blackbirds won 17 of their next 19 games. And since we covered the past and present, how about the future! The freshmen class has made significant contributions to the Blackbirds success. Fiji native Valerie Nainima has been named Rookie of the Week seven times. The record is eight which is held by former Blackbird Kim Mac Millan. Yet, the beauty of this team is truly their unselfishness and uncanny chemistry. I have said all along that this is the nicest group of kids I have coached in 21 years. (That’s a lot of teams!)

Please keep in mind that the top four teams will host a game for the playoffs and the number one team has home court all the way through. This is where you will come in. Once the scenario unfolds we will be calling on all Blackbird fans to help us create a winning atmosphere for the home team. You are our Sixth Man!

So enjoy all that February could bring your way… a little snow?... dinner with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day?... #1 seed for the Blackbirds? They all sound good, huh? Hope to see you soon!!!

GO BLACKBIRDS!!!

Coach Gaitley

Dec. 20, 2006:
Dear Blackbird Fans,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have you made your list and checked it twice? Make sure you add a few Blackbird wins to the list!

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. It just seems like the other day we were having our preseason team meeting. After an 0-3 start, your Blackbirds have come on STRONG, to win seven of eight. Included in these wins was our first-ever Turkey Classic title, as well as away victories at Siena, Dayton and Northeastern (Northeastern is coached by former LIU assistant Daynia La-Force Mann). The most significant win was the 15th annual Battle of Brooklyn against St. Francis (N.Y.).

The 2006-07 Blackbirds will offer intense defense in addition to a well-balanced offense. Freshman Valerie Nainima has been named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week three times and Marquita Thompson has also been recognized as the league’s Player of the Week. However, it is far from a two-man game. The Blackbirds play hard and are very unselfish. The true strength of this team is their unselfishness and chemistry. If you haven’t seen us in action, we still have nine home games left. We would love to have you join us in what we feel will be a memorable season.

Also, mark your calendars for Feb. 3 when we will host our first-ever alumni game. You can dust off those sneakers and work off those Christmas cookies at the same time!

On behalf of 2006-07 Blackbirds, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very blessed holiday.

See you in 2007!
Coach Gaitley

Nov. 8, 2006:
Hi and welcome to the 2006-07 basketball season! Your Blackbirds are ready to "fly" into the new season which kicks off on Friday, Nov. 10 at home against Saint Peter's. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

I wanted to catch you up on all that is happening with the LIU women's basketball season. We actually kicked off our postseason with an educational and entertaining foreign tour. Not only did we finish this outstanding two-week adventure undefeated, but we also enjoyed some home cooking in Slovenia, courtesy of Sara Oblak and Polona Oberc. The players we're really able to bond on and off the court. It was an experience of a lifetime.

The team took preseason conditioning to another level as LIU Olympic track athlete Richard James challenged them to the highest level. These challenges paid off as the team came ready to kick off the official start of practice on Oct. 13.

The upperclassmen have shown great leadership skills and the freshmen have picked up on things rather quickly. This year the NCAA has allowed for two additional games so we only had four weeks to prepare for our opener this Friday. We were chosen by our fellow conference coaches to come in fifth, but we obviously have much higher aspirations.

We will be an exciting team to watch this season and have spoiled our fans with 16 home games. You don't want to miss the action. You are our Sixth Man - WE NEED YOU! I hope you can make it out to support us. I know the holiday season is just around the corner, but you can start the season off right by "getting into the spirit" of things by cheering on your LIU Blackbirds! Hope to see you soon.

Yours in hoops,
Coach Gaitley