Eastern Michigan Athletics
Suzy Merchant Takes Over the Reins of Michigan State's Women’s Basketball Program
4/30/2007 12:02:09 PM | Women's Basketball
In 12 years as a collegiate head coach, Merchant is 201-119, and at EMU she was 147-90.
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Suzy Merchant was officially introduced as Michigan State University’s head women’s basketball coach Monday afternoon in East Lansing, leaving Eastern Michigan University after having coached the Eagles to 147 wins in the past nine seasons. Michigan State began looking for a new coach after Duke University hired Joanne P. McCallie earlier this month. The Spartans have made it to five straight NCAA tournaments, including this year, and to the 2005 national championship game.
"Suzy Merchant has been a tremendous ambassador for Eastern Michigan University and the women’s basketball team for the past nine years and we will miss her greatly," EMU director of athletics Dr. Derrick Gragg said.
"I want to thank Suzy for what she has done for the Eastern Michigan athletic program and we wish her the best at Michigan State. She has represented this institution with integrity, passion and commitment to both athletic and academic achievement. I know that she will do an excellent job in the Big Ten Conference. We will begin searching for her replacement immediately. As one of the premier women’s basketball programs in the Mid-American Conference, we feel that we will attract outstanding candidates for the position," Gragg added.
In 12 years as a collegiate head coach, Merchant is 201-119, and at EMU she was 147-90. Merchant was the first female coach at EMU to win a Mid-American Conference title and was selected the BCAM Coach of the Year in 2004. That same season, the team had an RPI of 62 the highest in the history of the program and 235 positions over where the program was when Merchant first arrived in 1998.
The 37-year-old Merchant missed most of the 2006-07 campaign due to maternity leave, however, in that short time frame she won three of four games including the 200th of her career and a school-record 147th at Eastern Michigan. She guided the Eagles to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2004, when the Green and White nearly upset third-seeded Boston College. In 2005-06, EMU posted a 22-8 mark and a school-best 15-1 record in the MAC en route to winning the West Division. The previous season, the Eagles won a school-record 23 games along with advancing to the Postseason WNIT.
Eastern Michigan University will immediately begin a search for a replacement.
