Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir

Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir (born 1 July 1968) is an Icelandic basketball coach and former member of the Icelandic women's national basketball team.

Margrét Sturlaugsdóttir
Personal information
Born (1968-07-01) 1 July 1968 (age 55)
Keflavík, Iceland
NationalityIcelandic
Career information
CollegeCharleston Southern
(1991–1993)
Playing career1986–1999
PositionGuard
Career history
As player:
1986–1991Keflavík
1995–1997Keflavík
1999Keflavík
As coach:
2011Iceland U-16
2014–2015Iceland (assistant)
2015–2016Keflavík
2018Breiðablik
2020–2021Stjarnan
Career highlights and awards
As player:
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Iceland
Games of the Small States of Europe
Silver medal – second place 1989 Cyprus Team
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Andorra Team
Assistant Coach for  Iceland
Games of the Small States of Europe
Silver medal – second place 2015 Iceland Team

Playing career edit

Club career edit

Margrét came up through the junior teams of Keflavík.[1]

National team career edit

Margrét played 6 games for the Icelandic women's national basketball team.[2] She won silver at the 1989 Games of the Small States of Europe and bronze at the 1991 Games.[3]

Coaching career edit

Margrét was hired as an assistant coach to the women's national team in 2014. She helped Iceland finish second on the 2015 Games of the Small States of Europe.[3]

In May 2015, Margrét was hired as the head coach of Keflavík in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna.[4]

In October 2015, Margrét stepped down from the coaching staff of the national team due to a rift between her and her former player with Keflavík and then national team player, Bryndís Guðmundsdóttir.[5][6][7]

In January 2016, with Keflavík in third place, the board terminated its contract with Margrét,[8] stemming from a rift between her and two players,[9][10][11] including key-player Sandra Lind Þrastardóttir.[12]

On April 18, 2018, Margrét was hired as the head coach of Breiðablik, replacing Hildur Sigurðardóttir.[13][14] On 14 November 2018, she resigned from her post for health reasons.[15]

On 21 July 2019, she became the first Icelandic woman to receive the FIBA Europe coaching certificate.[16]

On 21 August 2019, Margrét was hired as the head coach of Stjarnan women's youth teams.[17] Prior to the 2020–21 season, Stjarnan fielded a women's senior team again with Margrét appointed as head coach. In October 2020, she was criticized for taking the team on a training trip to Hrútafjörður when all practices and games where barred in the capital region due to another Covid-19 outbreak in Iceland.[18] In April 2021, she was replaced as head coach by Pálína Gunnlaugsdóttir.

Personal life edit

Margrét is married to former Icelandic international basketball player, Falur Harðarson. They have four daughters, Lovísa Falsdóttir, Elfa Falsdóttir, Urður Falsdóttir and Jana Falsdóttir.[19][20]

In 2017, Margrét was diagnosed with cancer.[21]

References edit

  1. ^ "Að ofan: Íslandsmeistarar ÍBK í 2. flokki kvenna í körfuknattleik". Þjóðviljinn (in Icelandic). 4 May 1984. p. 19. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  2. ^ "A-landslið". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (2 June 2015). "Margrét mætt á Smáþjóðaleika á ný eftir 24 ára fjarveru". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Margrét tekur við af Sigurði". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 May 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  5. ^ Tómas Þór Þórðarson (19 October 2015). "Margrét hættir að þjálfa landsliðið vegna Bryndísar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  6. ^ Tómas Þór Þórðarson (19 October 2015). "Bryndís vildi ekki láta öskra á sig - Margrét bauðst til að hætta hjá Keflavík". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ^ Tómas Þór Þórðarson (20 October 2015). "Framlenging í Körfuboltakvöldi: Af hverju var Margrét að þessu?". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  8. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (8 January 2016). "Margrét látin fara hjá Keflavík - Sigurinn í Grindavík var síðasti leikurinn hennar". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Ekkert eitt varð Margréti að falli". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Margréti Sturlaugsdóttur sagt upp hjá Keflavík". Víkurfréttir (in Icelandic). 8 January 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  11. ^ Jón Júlíus Karlsson (9 January 2016). "Margrét hættir með Keflavík". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ Tómas Þór Þórðarson (13 January 2016). "Tveir leikmenn boluðu Margréti burt: "Búið að gefa tóninn"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (18 April 2018). "Margrét tekur við af Hildi". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. ^ Svindri Sverrisson (19 April 2018). "Snýr aftur eftir sprett í djúpu lauginni". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  15. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (14 November 2018). "Margrét hættir sem þjálfari kvennaliðs Breiðabliks". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  16. ^ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (22 July 2019). "Margrét fékk krabbamein en náði samt að klára FECC fyrst íslenskra kvenna". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  17. ^ Davíð Eldur (21 August 2019). "Margrét tekur við Stjörnunni". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  18. ^ Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason (12 October 2020). "Skelltu sér í æfingabúðir út á land þrátt fyrir tilmælin". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  19. ^ Skúli Unnar Sveinsson (22 December 2008). "Falur sér um kalkúninn". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Léttir að fella grímuna". Víkurfréttir (in Icelandic). 13 January 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Margrét í spjalli: "Körfuboltinn gefur mér eitthvað"". karfan.is (in Icelandic). 17 February 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.