Thursday, June 24, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Mercer University has named veteran NCAA Division I coach Susie Gardner as the school’s new women’s basketball head coach. Gardner was introduced as the Bears’ mentor at a press conference in the University Center on Thursday afternoon.

Gardner brings a wealth of experience with her as she enters her 25th season on the sidelines. Eighteen of those seasons have been at the Division I level, including 12 as a head coach. Between her time as a college coach and player, Gardner has been involved in a combined 13 NCAA tournaments (four as a player and nine as a coach) and three WNIT bids.

Gardner is the 10th head coach in Mercer University’s 41-year history of women’s basketball.

“We are thrilled that Susie has accepted our offer to become the women’s basketball head coach at Mercer,” MU director of athletics Bobby Pope said. “She had tremendous success at Austin Peay, where she took three teams to the NCAA tournament, and also at the University of Arkansas in the very difficult Southeastern Conference. Susie has a proven track record as an outstanding recruiter and she knows the Southeast and the state of Georgia as well as anyone.”

Most recently, Gardner spent the past three campaigns (2007-10) as an assistant coach at the University of Florida. She joined the Gators after four seasons (2003-07) as the head coach at the University of Arkansas to give her the past seven seasons as a coach in the Southeastern Conference, regarded by many as the toughest college women’s basketball league in the nation.