University’s action comes after letter signed by parents of all 14 players claims head coach Gilbert created ‘hostile environment’ for players

DETROIT — When the University of Detroit Mercy hired AnnMarie Gilbert as its women’s basketball coach last April, there was a feeling of optimism that she could restore success to the program, which had sagged in the past three seasons.

But that did not happen. Instead, the university’s athletic department pulled the plug on the remainder of the team’s season, citing players’ and their families’ allegations that Gilbert’s leadership style “created a hostile environment of fear and isolation.”

The action came after a five-page letter signed by parents of all 14 players was sent to athletic director Robert Vowels, with carbon copies sent to University of Detroit Mercy President Antoine Garibaldi, Ph.D., associate athletic director Teri Kromrei and three National Collegiate Athletic Association officials.

The letter, dated Jan. 17, alleges Gilbert held practices exceeding the NCAA’s recommendation of 20 hours per week, persuaded players not to seek medical assistance for injuries, established physical mandates in order to earn playing time, and asked players to drop classes that interfered with basketball activities.

Furthermore, the letter claimed several team members no longer enjoyed the sport, and were suffering mental health issues because of “the abuse and trauma perpetuated on our daughters.”

In a prepared statement issued by the athletic department on Jan. 21, Vowels said, “The health and well-being of our student-athletes is our athletic department’s top priority. We have talked with all players and members of our women’s basketball program about their concerns. We take them very seriously and will continue to review them closely.

“As we have prioritized the needs of our student-athletes during this challenging academic year, we have decided to suspend the 2020-21 women’s basketball season.”

Detroit Catholic made a request for additional information, but was referred back to Vowels’ statement.

Under Gilbert’s direction, the Titans had gone 1-13 this season, outscored by an average of 72.9-57.4. Their lone win came Dec. 20 at University of Illinois-Chicago, 72-58, before dropping the next six in a row. The team had 10 more games scheduled to be played, not counting any possible Horizon League post-season tournament contests.

Prior to Gilbert’s arrival, Detroit Mercy had gone 42-109 in the past five seasons under former coach Bernard Scott, who led the Titans to the Horizon League championship game in 2016-17. The team was 9-80 in the final three seasons of Scott’s tenure.

But expectations were higher this winter, since the team was returning four starters — who accounted for around 90 percent of the points scored in 2019-20 — and nine players overall from its roster of 14.

Plus, Gilbert brought an impressive record of success, guiding Virginia Union to a 135-18 record in five seasons between 2015-20, playing in the NCAA Division II post-season tournament all five years and the national title game in 2016-17. Virginia Union also captured three conference championships during that span.

Gilbert also had prior head coaching experience at Eastern Michigan University (2007-12) and Oberlin College (1994-02), and had also served as an assistant at Michigan State.

Upon her hire last April, Vowels said, “AnnMarie Gilbert was our first choice because of her depth of experience as a head coach at Division I, Division II and Division III and is an excellent recruiter. She has done a terrific job as head coach at Virginia Union, Eastern Michigan and Oberlin and as an assistant coach at Michigan State. Coach Gilbert and the student-athletes will strive for excellence on the court and in the classroom.”

As a collegian, Gilbert played for two seasons at Ohio University, gaining Most Outstanding Defensive Player and All-Mid-American Conference honors in 1988. She transferred to Oberlin for her junior and senior seasons, where she was a two-time Kodak first-team All-American, a two-time NCAC Player of the Year, the Honda Division III Athlete of the Year and the Champion USA/WBCA Player of the Year in 1991.

Gilbert led the nation in scoring as a junior (31.1 points per game) and was the nation’s second-leading scorer as a senior (31.3 ppg). She set the NCAA Division III record for points in a game with 61 against Allegheny on Feb. 6, 1991.