ESCANABA---Todd Ciochetto, who led the Bay College Norse women's basketball team on an improbable turnaround into the national rankings last season, abruptly resigned on Thursday after just one year on the job.
 

Ciochetto's resignation came just over one month from the start of the 2024-25 season, and it came after the team had been practicing for several weeks.

In a statement, Ciochetto said that he was going to “pursue some aspirations I have had for some time”. He did not elaborate, but his success at several career coaching stops has left him deeply connected in basketball circles on a national level.

Bay College Athletic Director Matt Johnson called Ciochetto a “tireless worker”, and that while he is sad to see Ciochetto leave, Johnson is “committed to work to find a replacement”. Time is of the essence for Johnson, as the Norse are scheduled to play exhibition games in just 25 days, followed by the regular season opener in just 43 days.

Ciochetto came to Escanaba after coaching at Seward Community College in Kansas, where he had a 53-33 overall record. Before that, Ciochetto had his greatest success at North Iowa Area Community College, where he had a record of 153-46. His best NIACC team was was in 2020, when his team went 32-1 before the coronavirus pandemic prevented a trip to the national tournament as one of the top seeds.

Ciochetto has a reputation of being a demanding coach, his style is aggressive, and his sideline demeanor can be gruff and explosive. But there's no doubting the success for the Chisholm, Minn., native, with an overall coaching record currently at 230-88, good for a winning percentage of 72.3%.

In 2023, Ciochetto took over a Bay College team that had endured three straight losing seasons, with a combined record of 23-49.

And things didn't go well early for the Norse, as they performed poorly, especially in two lopsided losses in Illinois that left Bay with a long bus ride home with a 5-7 record.

Ciochetto said after those games that his team would go on a winning streak, and he was right.

The Norse turned things around at lightning speed, winning 17 straight games, and earning a share of the MCCAA North Division championship.

Bay was nationally-ranked for the first time in program history after a stunning home court win over Mid Michigan in February, and the Norse went on to win their first regional playoff game before losing in the regional semifinals in Flint.

The 22-9 record that the Norse compiled had the program suddenly relevant on the national stage, and Ciochetto was shoulder-deep in recruiting for this upcoming season, both locally and nationally.

“This Bay women's basketball team is special, and they are ready for a championship season,” Ciochetto said. “I love Bay College, the community, and the people. I will be your biggest fan.”

“In his one season with Bay College, he changed the trajectory of the program,” Johnson said, adding that Ciochetto won “the right away”.

Bay College opens the regular season on Nov. 1 in Escanaba against the team that ended the Norse season in the last spring's regional semifinal: Jackson College.