LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – After a four-year playing career with the Broncs and over 20 years on the bench as a coach, including 16 at Rider, Associate Head Coach Pam Durkin has announced her retirement from coaching following the 2022-23 season.
 
"It is impossible to thank everyone, so I will just say THANK YOU BASKETBALL," said Durkin. "It has introduced me to some amazing people.  Some are teammates, some are former players, some are fellow coaches and some are colleagues.  But I do have to make sure I do thank Lynn Milligan for asking me to be a part of her journey.  I will forever be a Rider Bronc and I am so grateful to have worn the uniform and have worked here for as long as I have."
 
Durkin was the first addition to the staff when Head Coach Lynn Milligan took over the team ahead of the 2007-08 season, returning to Lawrenceville after seven years as an assistant at Drexel University.
 
"If you need to know what a great assistant coach looks like, the easy answer is Pam Durkin," said Milligan. "Loyal, hard working, shared vision, genuine, caring and willing to do whatever is asked for the betterment of the program. You can't replace that. It has been an honor and a privilege to have Pam stand by me for these last 16 years. I could not have asked for anything more from her. She bleeds RIDER Cranberry now and always. I am thankful for everything Pam has given to our program and this university. She will be greatly missed as a colleague, and more importantly a trusted friend."
 
Durkin and Milligan helped guide the Broncs to unprecedented heights, culminating in the historic 2019-20 season. 2019-20 was arguably the Broncs finest in program history, as Rider claimed its first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship. The top-seeded Broncs advanced past Niagara in the MAAC Quarterfinals before the remainder of the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. Rider posted an 18-2 league mark, with 18 wins being the most for the team in league play in program history. Rider went 26-4 overall and the 26 wins are the most since the Broncs joined Division I following the 1981-82 season. The Broncs were consistently ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll, spending the final two months inside the top-12. The Broncs also had their first-ever WNBA draft pick when Stella Johnson was selected 29^th overall by the Phoenix Mercury.  
 
"This is not an easy business to walk away from, continued Durkin. "Every year there are different players, different coaches, different opponents and so that makes the day in and day out 'work life' very interesting.  No two days are ever the same.  I never wanted to be a head coach. I wanted to help build something special and I feel like I have done all that I had visions of doing and so now it is time to try something else."