In praise of senior
Jill (Ritrosky) Roach upon her selection to the WBCA Division III All-America team in 2016, head women’s basketball coach Denise Bierly noted, at the time, that the honor “puts her into an entirely different category among our program’s all-time greats.”
It also proved to be the crowning jewel in what was collectively considered to be a bona fide Hall of Fame career.
The honorable mention All-America selection capped a remarkable career where the undersized (5-foot-9) forward not only excelled at both ends of the court, but also served as a respected presence in the locker room as a three-time team captain (one of only two to date in 30 seasons under Bierly) and as a scholar with a near-perfect grade-point average who remains the only CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in program history.
Ultimately, it was those aforementioned achievements – along with a raft of others – which guaranteed Ritrosky Roach ‘early’ admission into the ECSU Athletic Hall of Fame just one year beyond the customary seven-year waiting period. Her induction equals the earliest entrance ever into the Hall of Fame by a women’s basketball player. She becomes the program’s 22
nd Hall of Fame recipient, six of whom having played their entire careers under Bierly.
A Pittsfield, MA native, Ritrosky Roach never missed a game in four years, playing in all possible 113 games between 2012 and 2016 and starting the final 110 after coming off the bench in the first three games of her freshman season. In an average of 30.5 minutes, Ritrosky averaged just under a double-double in her career (12.5 points/9.8 rebounds) and today, stands as one of only two players in program history with as many as 1,000 points (1,410) and 1,000 rebounds (1,103). She ranks third all-time in rebounds (31 behind the all-time leader) and seventh in points, with only nine of her career points courtesy of the three-point shot.
With Ritroski Roach, Eastern won 64 percent of its 113 overall games, 68 percent of its 46 Little East Conference regular-season games, and posted a four-year LEC tournament record of 7-2. In each of her final two seasons, Eastern staked claim to a share of the LEC regular-season title and as the No. 1 seed both times, went on to consecutive LEC tournament titles (winning back-to-back titles for the first time in program history) with home wins over the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2015 (64-62 in overtime) and in 2016 (64-56) that secured automatic berths to the NCAA tournaments.
As the LEC tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2016 in what would prove to be the final three home games of her career, Ritrosky Roach averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in an average of 37 minutes with 12 assists and four steals. She was 21-of-42 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the stripe.
In what Ritroski Roach points to as the most memorable moment of her career, the Warriors followed up that overtime championship win over UMass Boston in 2015 by capturing the University of Scranton Regional and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in 12 years. In a two-point win over Scranton and a nine-point victory over Baruch College, Ritrosky Roach played all but six minutes and averaged 16.5 points (on 55 percent shooting from the floor) and 12.5 rebounds.
Ritrosky Roach totalled double-doubles in points and rebounds in nearly 40 percent (44 of 113) of her career games and averaged a double-double every season after her freshman year. In each of her final three years, she led or shared the team lead in games, starts, free-throws made and attempted, total rebounds and rebounding average and in points. In two of those seasons, she also topped the team in scoring average, free-throw percentage and field goals made.
Additional regional honors in the career of Ritrosky Roach included three selections to the
D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region team, two to the NEWBA All-New England team, a selection to the NEIBA Senior Classic and two years on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Little East Conference accolades included three seasons as first-team All-Star and All-Defensive Team picks and a qualifier to the All-Academic Team, and as a freshman, was voted to the All-Rookie Team. On an institutional level, Ritrosky Roach was recipient of the
Bonnie J. Edmondson Senior Female SportsPerson-of-the-Year Award that recognizes sportsmanship, dedication, team spirit and loyalty and as a junior, was presented with the
Holly E. Zimmerman Memorial Award which rewards academic determination, work ethic, and humbleness by a student-athlete majoring in Physical Education or Sport and Leisure Management.
Ritrosky Roach holds a B.S. Degree in Sport & Leisure Management from Eastern and an M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Springfield College. She is employed as an Exercise Physiologist at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA and is also a co-founder of
Access The Potential (ATP), which provides high quality exercise testing and interpretation to help individuals reach their health and fitness goals.
Jill and Caleb Roach reside in Worthington, MA with their infant son, Lucas.
