Michigan State University Women's Basketball

Robyn Fralick enters her third season as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Michigan State, bringing a proven track record of success and deep Michigan roots a...

Kim Cameron begins her second season at Michigan State for the 2024-25 season after five seasons as associate head coach at Bowling Green State. “I am so exc...

Maria Kasza begins her second season at Michigan State after spending four seasons as an assistant coach. Kasza was at Northern Illinois for two seasons prio...

Merchant has brought the Spartan program to the upper echelon at the Big Ten and national level. The Spartans have finished third or better in the Big Ten in seven of the last eight seasons, and her conference record of 89-47 (65.4%) is the 10th-best career winning percentage in the 32-year history of the Big Ten and is the second-highest percentage among active coaches. The Spartans have won at least 20 games in seven of her eight seasons. The Great Lakes State native was hired at MSU on April 30, 2007, after spending time as a head coach at Eastern Michigan (1998-07) and Saginaw Valley State (1995-98). In her 20 years as a head coach, she has won more than 64-percent of her games, collecting a 380-207 (.648) career record, including 179-87 (.673) in her eight seasons in East Lansing. Merchant became the fastest Spartan coach to 100 wins. She is also the winningest coach in Eastern Michigan history, compiling a 147-91 record in her nine seasons. Through her first eight seasons at MSU, 27 Spartans have earned All-Big Ten recognition (the most in the conference) and 42 have been named Academic All-Big Ten. A pair of Spartans have earned major Big Ten awards - Kalisha Keane was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2010-11, following up the Sixth Player of the Year award as a junior, while Lykendra Johnson (2010-11) and Allyssa DeHaan (2009-10) were named Big Ten Defensive Players of the Year. DeHaan, who finished her career second all-time in NCAA history in blocked shots, and Keane were also named All-Americans following their senior seasons. In 2013-14, Aerial Powers became the first Spartan freshman to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. Last season, Powers earned All-American honors after setting a single-season record with 24 double-doubles. The 2014-15 Spartans suffered through an injury-plagued season, finishing 16-15 overall and 7-11 in Big Ten action. Powers and Tori Jankoska earned All-Big Ten honors with Power being named to the First Team and Jankoska to the second. The Spartans have been packing the stands as well, finishing 10th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in attendance, averaging 6,119 fans per game. In 2013-14, MSU captured a share of the Big Ten title with a 23-10 overall record and a stellar 13-3 league record. The Green and White have now had 11-straight 20-win season. The Spartans qualified for the Big Dance for a school-record sixth-straight season, advancing to the second round. Powers was also named to the All-Freshman team, while Annalise Pickrel was named to the second-team, Klarissa Bell, Jankoska and Bella Mills picked up honorable mention honors. In 2012-13, Michigan State overcame adversity to go 25-9, the third-most wins in program history. MSU went 10-6 in Big Ten play to tie for third and won at least 10 conference games for the 11th-straight season. They made it to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game for the first time under Merchant and for just the second time in program history. Three Spartans earned All-Big Ten honors with junior Bell being named to the third team, and senior Jasmine Thomas and sophomore Kiana Johnson added as honorable mention selections. Also, the team had a program-record seven Academic All-Big Ten honors. In 2011-12, the Spartans continued their string of 20-win seasons, going 20-12 and advancing to their fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament. MSU went 11-5 in conference play to tie for second in the Big Ten. Seniors Lykendra Johnson and Porsche Poole earned second team All-Big Ten accolades. With the win over Oakland (Nov. 27) last season, Merchant became the fastest head coach to 100 wins as a Spartan, needing only 143 games. Merchant put her stamp on the Spartan program during the 2010-11 season, leading the Spartans to their first outright Big Ten title in school history. MSU went 13-3, winning the conference by two games. The Spartans went 27-6, recording the second-most wins in program history, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Merchant was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the conferences coaches and media, becoming the third Spartan coach to earn that honor. In 2009-10, Merchant topped the 20-win plateau for the sixth-straight season and for the seventh time in her career. The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and finished the regular season second in the Big Ten for the second-straight season. In addition to the two major award winners (Keane and Johnson), four Spartans were named All-Big Ten and Lauren Aitch was the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner, the first MSU womens basketball player to earn the award. During the 2008-09 season, the Spartans earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over No. 1-seed Duke and No. 8-seed Middle Tennessee; Merchants first career NCAA Tournament win. She led the Spartans to a 13-5 record in the Big Ten, tying them for second in the conference. The wins tie for the second most in program history, while the finish is the best since the 2004-05 Big Ten Champions. Six Spartans earned postseason Big Ten accolades, led by Allyssa DeHaan taking home second team All-Big Ten honors. After the season, Merchant was named the Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Womens College Coach of the Year for the second time in her career. In the summer of 2009, Merchant spent time with USA Basketball as an assistant coach for the Womens World University Games team in Belgrade, Serbia. Team USA went undefeated and took home the Gold medal, topping Russia, 83-64 in the championship game. In her first season at Michigan State, Merchant took the youngest team in the Big Ten to its seventh-straight postseason trip, advancing to the championship game of the WNIT, and tied for the most wins (23) by a first-year Spartan basketball coach in MSU history. In addition, the Spartans won 10 conference games for the sixth consecutive season and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the fifth-straight year. Individually, Allyssa DeHaan earned first team All-Big Ten honors, while a pair of freshmen - Kalisha Keane and Brittney Thomas - were honorable mention all-conference and on the All-Freshman Team. In her first six years in the Greater Lansing area, Merchant has gone to great lengths to become an integral part of the community. In her time off the court and out of the office, Merchant can be seen at many community service events in the Great Lansing area. She has been an Honorary Chair for numerous events, including Eles Place, Sparrow Foundations Hike for Hospice, Women Working Wonders, MSU Childrens Health Initiative, Womens Center of Lansing, Haven House, Ronald McDonald House, Advent House Ministries, Old Newsboys Shoe and Coat Drive, and Muscular Dystrophy Association. During her tenure with the Eagles, Merchant guided Eastern Michigan to a record of 147-91 (.618), including three 20-win seasons, three postseason appearances and two Mid-American Conference West Division titles. Before coaching at Eastern Michigan, Merchant spent three seasons at Saginaw Valley State, posting a 54-29 (.651) record. Prior to becoming a head coach, Merchant was the top assistant for three years at Oakland University (1992-95). A four-year starter and three-year captain at Central Michigan (1987-91), Merchant holds Chippewa records for assists with 463 and single-season assists with 156, and is tied for first in single-game assists with 11. She also finished her career third-best in made 3-point field goals with 75. A native of Traverse City, Mich., Merchant was a three-sport standout at Traverse City Central High School, lettering in basketball, volleyball and softball. She earned honorable mention All-America honors by USA Today and was a two-time Class A all-state selection in basketball. She also earned all-state honors in volleyball. During the summer of 2010, she was inducted into the Traverse City Central H.S. Hall of Fame. · html pdf Game Notes Media Guide Big Ten Statistics Big Ten Standings Monthly Newsletter Shop Women's Basketball Gear 2016 Golf Outing Head Coach Suzy Merchant Twitter Associate Coach Amaka Agugua Twitter Assistant Coach Alysiah Bond Twitter Assistant Coach Mark Simons Twitter

Claire Sporer is in her first year as the Associate Director of Athletic Performance for Women’s Basketball at Michigan State. Prior to her arrival at MSU, S...

Bre Moorer joined the staff prior to the 2023-24 season. Moorer spent the previous two seasons Bowling Green with Fralick. She returned to BGSU after spendin...

Joel Whymer comes to Michigan State after five season as an assistant coach at Bowling Green State University. Whymer served as the program’s recruiting coor...

Dean Lockwood begins his fourth season as associate head coach of the Spartans. Lockwood came to East Lansing with an extensive knowledge of basketball in th...