Jan 20, 2018 5 min read

Not often can you do the two jobs you love most at the same time.

Somehow, Washington & Jefferson College head women’s basketball coach Jina DeRubbo has found the way.

While their is an occasional double dribble, for the most part, DeRubbo has found balance between coaching and family.

She simply has combined the best of her two worlds into one big family affair.

Because of her deft abilities, DeRubbo reaped one of the benefits recently, winning her 400th game as a college coach.

DeRubbo is in her 14th season at W&J after seven seasons at Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Bethany.

After W&J’s win Saturday over Geneva, DeRubbo owns a career record of 403-170, and a 272-113 mark at W&J.

Currently, the Presidents are 15-2 overall and 9-1 in the Presidents Athletic Conference.

“I struggled early on to find a balance in my career,” said DeRubbo. “I think the older you get, the easier it becomes. My kids are around me and around our program.

“I have to give credit to Bethany and W&J for allowing me to run a basketball program this way. Both institutions value family. I have always preached that a program is bigger than one person and I believe that each team is a family. Once a group buys into that approach, things can be successful.”

DeRubbo manages to see her daughter, Riley, a standout player at Trinity High School, and son Dante, an emerging talent, play basketball quite often. She’s learning about lacrosse, the game her other twin son, Dominick, loves to play.

And the children get to watch and be a part of mom’s work.

“Both colleges I have worked for have been lenient about the inclusion of my family into my work,” DeRubbo said. “They come to work with me, ride the bus with us.”

Recently, DeRubbo juggled the Presidents’ practice schedule so she could see her daughter’s varsity game.

“We did it without any problems and most of the team showed up to cheer for and support Riley,” the coach said. “My family appreciates that.”

DeRubbo also gives credit to her husband, Jeff, who she says “does more things around the house than most men” and “probably stresses more about the W&J team” than she does.

W&J earned DeRubbo’s landmark win Jan. 6 at Henry Memorial Center with an 86-53 victory over Chatham.

“I was semi-aware of it approaching,” DeRubbo said. “I knew before the season that it should happen during the season. For me, it means much more than 400 wins.

“It’s the people behind it. It does validate we are doing things the right way. Championships are great. But it is not all about the wins. Winning is important and I am bitter after a loss. In the big picture, people are the biggest piece. So many people congratulated me, reached out and said many nice things. I feel like we are getting it right.”

Prior to her head coaching positions, DeRubbo was an assistant coach at Marietta and Concord, her alma mater, where she graduated as the school’s leading scorer.

While she is mostly calm and collected on the sidelines, DeRubbo is passionate about the game. She stills loves coaching and being mom all at one time.

Scott McGuinness, W&J’s athletic director, said she has a unique ability to be a mother to her players and her children and she enjoys being around all of them.

“I’m not saying it is easy for her,” McGuinness said. “But she has figured a lot of it out. Family is important to her. It is who she is as a coach. Her players accept that. It has to be that way for her.

“I think Jina’s personality comes through. She is a kind person. She is calm at the core. Believe me, she wants to win as much or more than any coach I have seen. Her style works. It is genuine.

“She accepts her role as a mother to them all. She enjoys it and she makes sure to expose her players to a lot of things, trips and experiences. You don’t win 20 games a season that many times over a 20-plus year career without doing in right.”

The one win escaping DeRubbo is over Thomas Moore, the dominant team in the PAC. W&J lost to Thomas More earlier this season. The Presidents will get one more crack at them during the regular season – next month in Kentucky. The teams could meet in the PAC tournament before Thomas More leaves the conference next fall.

For now, DeRubbo is searching for that victory.

“I want to beat them and the girls want to beat them,” she said. “It will be tough. But it can be done. We’ll see.”

But she will not be deterred in pushing W&J to the postseason and greater heights.

“I love my job,” she said. “I love coaching. And this team has made it easy to coach them. They have bought in and work hard with minimal drama.”