Lilly Paro - Women's Basketball Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Women's basketball celbrates 2024 Ivy Tournament title

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Lilly Paro

Title:
Director of Basketball Operations
Email:
lparo@princeton.edu
Phone:
609-258-3106

Paro At Princeton
NCAA Tournaments (4): 2022, 2023 (Second Round), 2024, 2025
Ivy League Championships (3): 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
Ivy League Tournament Championships (2): 2022, 2023, 2024
All-Americans (2): Abby Meyers (2022), Kaitlyn Chen (2024)
Ivy League Players Of The Year (2): Abby Meyers (2022), Kaitlyn Chen (2023)
Ivy League Defensive Players Of The Year (3): Ellie Mitchell (2022, 2023, 2024)

Lily Paro will begin her fifth season with Princeton in 2025-26.

Princeton went 21-8 in 2024-25 and collected a Net Ranking of 46, adding four combined quad 1/2 victories. The Tigers placed second in the Ivy League and received an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. Princeton had four earn All-Ivy selections highlighted by Ashley Chea’s unanimous First-Team honor.

The 2023-24 season saw the Tigers win their fifth consecutive Ivy League Tournament title, nabbing a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Princeton finished with a Net Ranking of 35 overall and had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, taking on No. 3 UCLA on the road in addition to No. 20 Oklahoma and No. 19 Indiana on a neutral floor. The Tigers’ victory over Oklahoma was the fourth top-25 win in program history.

The 2022-23 season had Women’s Basketball go 24-6, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year becoming the first Ivy team to do that since Harvard men's team in 2013 and 2014. After starting the Ivy campaign 0-2, the Tigers ripped off 12 straight before sweeping both games at home in the Ivy Tournament for their second straight crown and earning a bid to the NCAAs. With the team’s victory over NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it marked the first time an Ivy League school has had its men's and women's teams both win in the NCAA in the same year.

The 2021-22 season saw Princeton finish with a 25-5 record, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history. After a second consecutive undefeated regular season championship in the Ivy League, the Tigers swept both games of the Ivy League Tournament to claim the Ivy Tournament title and earn an automatic bid to NCAAs.

Seeded No. 11, the Tigers knocked off No. 6 Kentucky -- the SEC Tournament champion -- in the First Round, 69-62. Princeton would then take No. 3 Indiana to the limit in the Second Round, falling to the hosts at Assembly Hall, 56-55.

The win over Kentucky was one of two Princeton victories over Top-25 opponents during the 2021-22 season. In addition to the win over the Wildcats, who were ranked No. 15 in AP Poll at the time, Paro and the Tigers knocked off No. 22 Florida Gulf Coast on the road, 58-55, for the program's first win over a Top-25 opponent in 43 years.

During the 2021-22 season, Paro was on staff as Princeton had the Ivy League Player of the Year in unanimous selection Abby Meyers who was also named unanimous first-team All-Ivy. Ellie Mitchell was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, while Julia Cunningham (first team) and Grace Stone (honorable mention) also garnered All-Ivy honors.

Paro graduated from Tufts in 2020 where she was coached by Berube for two of her three seasons. She saw action in 78 games, averaging 2.7 points and adding 63 three-pointers. The Jumbos went to the Division III Sweet 16 all four years she was at Tufts.

After graduating with a degree in Psychology, Paro was a learning specialist at the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Md. While there, she coached basketball and lacrosse and was a volunteer assistant at Smith College.