Women's basketball coach Rene Portland has said if a player -- or coach -- doesn't dream of great things, then those things will never happen to them.

For Portland, that drive and determination to succeed carried her and her team to unexpected heights this past season. Those feats were rewarded over the weekend when Portland was named Converse Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. Portland was unavailable for comment as she was in New Orleans for the women's Final Four.

This past season, Portland guided the Lady Lions to a national-best 29-2 record, an unprecedented sixth Atlantic 10 Tournament title, the program's and Northeast region's first-ever No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the NCAA Tournament's East region. Her team finished the year as the No. 1 team in the country, only the 13th squad ever to hold that position in women's basketball.

"There are many success stories in this world to think that you couldn't be one too," she said last November. "To me, there's no reason why I should not think I might be coach of the year, that one day I'll be mother of the year, that one year I might win the national title.

"And if I didn't have those dreams, I shouldn't be coming to work. You always have to have to some kind of motivation."

Portland, a native of Broomall, Pa., went to college and played for the great Immaculata College teams that won three consecutive national titles from 1972-74. After graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences and receiving her teaching certification in secondary education in 1975, she went to coach at St. Joseph's.

Two years later, Portland moved west to Colorado before settling at Penn State in 1980. Over the last 11 years, Portland has compiled a PSU mark of 249-90, making her 338-119 in 15 seasons and in the top 20 in coaching victories among active coaches.

Only five Division coaches have qualified for all 10 NCAA Tournaments and Portland is one of four others, who have been to nine of the 10.

"She has a great desire to win," forward Susan Robinson said. "(But) she is very down to earth. After every game, she'll talk to the fans -- win or lose -- like it was nothing."

Portland is married to John Portland who works for Zimmerman Homes in State College. They have three children -- Christine, Stephen and John, Jr.