Women's Basketball | 2/1/2017 9:25:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – RIT President Bill Destler has one more item to add to his resume Friday night: Basketball Coach. Destler will serve as a special guest coach for the women's basketball team, as they take on defending Liberty League Champion Clarkson University in a crucial Liberty League contest at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3 at Clark Gym.
 
Destler will join the Tigers in their pregame preparations and be on the bench with head coach Amy Reed, along with assistant coaches Ralph Damerell and Mike Maiorano.
 
"I've always been an ardent follower of RIT basketball. When Coach Reed approached me with this opportunity to serve as a guest coach, I could not resist because of my passion for the game and Tiger athletics," said Destler. "I will do my best to support the team, but I'll also know when to stay out of the way and let the coaching staff and players do what they do best. Go Tigers!"
 
RIT enters Friday's game with a 13-7 overall record and sits sixth in the Liberty League standings with a 6-5 conference mark. Clarkson is just ahead of the Tigers in the Liberty League standings with a 6-4 conference record and is 11-8 overall. The two teams met just two weekends ago, with host Clarkson pulling out an 80-77 win on Jan. 21.
 
"Dr. Destler has been a great supporter for both basketball programs and RIT Athletics as a whole," said Reed, who earned her 100th career win at the university on Jan. 20. "This is a great way to say thank you for all he has done for us."
 
Destler, who has served as RIT president since 2007, is retiring in June.
 
In addition, RIT will host hundreds of students from the Rochester City School District as part of National Women and Girls in Sports Day. Fans are also urged to wear black for both the women's and men's game which starts at 8 p.m. as part of a spirit initiative.