The Ball Is in Their Court

Stephanie Gaitley, Knights head women’s basketball coach, motivates her team before they hit the court. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)

Even as a kid, Stephanie (Vanderslice) Gaitley knew she wanted to coach basketball. Naturally, she practiced on her younger sister Gabrielle “Coco” (Vanderslice) Lefkowitz, BA’85 (Metro), using her as a test player.

“I was the guinea pig,” Lefkowitz remembers with a smile. “She would make me run drills.” Today, Gaitley, is head women’s basketball coach for the FDU Knights and she’s running their drills.

Gaitley, Lefkowitz and sisters Tara and Courtney were trailblazers in women’s basketball, alongside so many other women in the 1970s and 80s.

“Our father believed that sports set you up for life. The discipline, the team, the camaraderie, the lessons,” the sisters say.

Their father was also a proponent of education, wanting all eight of his children to receive the best.

“He was big on educate yourself — learn 10 new words a day, use them in a sentence, do math problems. To him there wasn’t a difference between a big school or a community college, education was education. Wherever you went, you worked to the best of your ability,” says Lefkowitz.

Gabrielle “Coco” Lefkowitz, BA’85 (Metro), cheers on her team from the sidelines. (Photo: FDU Archives)

Lefkowitz considered Villanova University, Miami University, Georgetown University and FDU. After their mother received a cancer diagnosis, Lefkowitz wanted to stay close to home, so she made a visit to the Rutherford Campus and tried out for the team.

“I have a big belief that Fairleigh Dickinson was my fate from the start.”

Lefkowitz played two years at the Rutherford Campus before finishing out her collegiate career at the Metropolitan Campus. Courtney and Gaitley played together at Villanova University. “During my junior year, we played FDU when Coco was a freshman. This was the first time three sisters played in the same Division I game,” says Gaitley.

Thanks to connections and support from her FDU communication professors, Lefkowitz landed internships with CBS, ABC and NBC before landing an editorial job at Sports Illustrated. These days, Lefkowitz and her husband, Bruce, raise money for causes close to their hearts. They were honored by the National Kidney Foundation for their contributions and for Lefkowitz donating a kidney to her son Coby.

More recently, Gaitley picked up the Vanderslice legacy at FDU, after coaching at her alma mater Ocean City High School and Fordham University. She is the ninth winningest active coach for NCAA Division I women’s basketball.

Gaitley relies on her 37 years of experience as a Division I head coach to guide her players. She hopes her guidance and support will benefit her student-athletes in the classroom, on the court and in life. “It’s just keeping them in order, being on time, and being respectful about what our culture is and what we feel we should be.”

With her sister at the helm, Lefkowitz knows that her alma mater is in good hands. “My belief is a team is only as good as each individual; it’s about buying into something greater than themselves,” Lefkowitz says.

FDU Senior Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Bradford Hurlbut presents Gaitley (left) with her inaugural FDU Knights basketball jersey during her announcement press conference in 2023. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)

Gaitley has built strong relationships with the players and families, creating a dynamic atmosphere.

“FDU was always meant to be a part of our stories,” says Gaitley.