Lucia Robinson- Griggs of Chelsea has been named as the MIT women’s basketball head coach/physical education and wellness instructor, as announced by Dr. G. Anthony Grant, director of athletics/DAPER department head. She returns to MIT from Vassar College (N.Y.), where she has served as the women’s basketball head coach and physical education instructor since September 2019.
“I am very excited to welcome Lucia Robinson-Griggs back to our MIT family as our women’s basketball head coach and physical education and wellness instructor” said Dr. Grant. “Lu has demonstrated success in each of her coaching positions throughout her career and that experience, along with her knowledge of the DAPER culture and commitment to excellence both in the classroom and on the court at MIT, make her a tremendous fit for this position. I am looking forward to seeing our program continue to grow and excel under her leadership as we return to competition next season.”
In the 2019-20 season, Robinson-Griggs guided the Vassar Brewers to a 19-8 overall record, including a 14-4 mark in Liberty League play an 11-1 record at home. The team advanced to the Liberty League Championship Game and finished the season ranked 12th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio, 18th in three-point percentage and 20th in overall field goal percentage. Her team also led the conference in multiple categories and was named to the 2019-2020 WBCA Top 25 Honor Roll with a 3.794 team GPA that ranked second nationally.
“It is truly an honor to return to the sidelines of MIT,” said Robinson-Griggs. “Thank you to Dr. Grant, Tom Cronan, the search committee, and the DAPER staff for entrusting me to lead the women’s basketball program into their next chapter. I am equally as excited to get to know students outside of varsity athletics as a physical education and wellness instructor within the department. I am eager to work with the alums and current women that define this program. Having spent eight years as an assistant and associate head coach, it is really special to me and my family to have this come full circle and return as head coach.”
In addition to her eight-year tenure at MIT, Robinson-Griggs began her coaching career as the head coach of Lesley University (Mass.), where she worked from September 2008-2011. She guided the team to back-to-back conference championship in 2009 and 2010 as the program also had six All-Conference selections. Off the court, Robinson-Griggs worked at Revere High School from 2011-2019 as a member of the School Redesign and Innovation Team (SRI), the Advisory Leadership Team and as a teacher in Inclusion Mathematics.
Robinson-Griggs graduated from Bentley University with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a minor in psychology in 2007, along with a Master’s degree in math education from Lesley University in 2010.
Lucia Robinson-Griggs is the daughter of Chelsea Councillor-at-Large Leo Robinson and Linda Alioto-Robinson. Lucia and her husband, Michael Griggs, have two children, Kaia and Kellan.