THE SUZY MERCHANT FILE

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1 EMU BASKE TBALL 29

2 Suzy Merchant Success. Many definitions exist, but there is no doubt that Eastern Michigan University head women s basketball coach Suzy Merchant knows exactly how to achieve it in a basketball program. Merchant has taken over two programs that were fledging, in Saginaw Valley State University and EMU, and produced 20-plus win seasons, made NCAA Tournament appearances, received top 25 votes, as well as garnering Women s College Basketball Association Top 25 GPA honors at both institutions. The season marks Merchant s ninth season as head coach of the EMU women s basketball program. During the season, she posted her 100th career coaching win, a home victory over Bowling Green, Feb. 21, Merchant s 100th victory at EMU came in the season opener, a decision over Wayne State, Nov. 19, She enters the season ranked second in all-time EMU coaching victories with 144, just two behind Kathy Hart s standard of 146. Merchant is the school s leader in winning percentage (.615) and ranks eighth in the conference all-time annals. In Merchant guided the Eagles to a 22-8 overall record and a 15-1 Mid-American Conference mark en route to the program s second MAC West Division Championship and a postseason WNIT berth. The Green and White s 15 league wins were the most in program history and marked the third consecutive time the Eagles had reached the 20-win plateau. Leading the West Division from wire-to-wire in the regular season, the Eagles won 18 out of their final 20 games to end the season. Eastern Michigan recorded the program s first back-to-back 20-win seasons in and The season saw the Eages post a school-best 23 victories en route to earn- THE SUZY MERCHANT FILE Full Name: Susan Marie Merchant Born: July 26, Dearborn, Mich. High School: Traverse City College: Central Michigan University ; master s in education, Saginaw Valley State University COACHING EXPERIENCE YEAR SCHOOL JOB TITLE RECORD HIGHLIGHTS Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach 22-8 (15-1 MAC) Most conference (15) victories in school history; captured the MAC West Division title; program s second consecutive postseason WNIT appearance; Ryan Coleman earned Kodak Honorable Mention All-American and first team All-MAC honors, Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach 23-8 (11-5 MAC) Most overall (23) victories in school history; program s first postseason WNIT appearance; Ryan Coleman earned Kodak Honorable Mention All-American and first team All-MAC honors, Nikki Knapp and Erika Ford selected third team All-MAC Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach 22-8 (12-4 MAC) Won the program s first-ever MAC Division and Tournament title; most conference (12) victories in school history; Ryan Coleman named first team All-MAC, Nikki Knapp selected second team All-MAC, Marion Crandall named All- MAC Honorable Mention; and Sarah VanMetre All-Freshman Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach (9-7 MAC) Earned a home-court berth for the opening round of the MAC Tournament; Ryan Coleman named second-team All-MAC; Abby Wiseman named All-MAC Honorable Mention; and Nikki Knapp finished runner-up for MAC Freshman of the Year Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach (10-6 MAC) Set a then-school record for wins (18) and conference wins (10); coached EMU s first women s basketball Kodak All-American, Stephanie Smiley; Smiley was also named first-team All-MAC, while Abby Wiseman was named All-MAC Honorable Mention Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach (9-7 MAC) Tied the school record for wins and conference wins in a season; earned a home-court berth for the opening round of the MAC Tournament; coached Stephanie Smiley, EMU s fifth All-MAC first team honoree; invited to and played in preseason WNIT Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach (8-8 MAC) Earned a home court berth for the opening round of the MAC Tournament; advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals for just the second time in school history; Won two postseason games for the first time in school history; Stephanie Smiley named second-team All-MAC Eastern Michigan University Head Women s Basketball Coach (8-8 MAC) Posted the program s first winning record in 13 years; coached Kristy Maska, a second team All-MAC pick and Stephanie Smiley, the 1999 MAC Freshman of the Year Saginaw Valley State Univ. Head Women's Basketball Coach Saginaw Valley State Univ. Head Women's Basketball Coach Saginaw Valley State Univ. Head Women's Basketball Coach Oakland University Asst. Women's Basketball Coach RECORD AT EASTERN MICHIGAN / OVERALL / EMU BASKE TBALL

3 Suzy Merchant ing the program s first-ever postseason WNIT Tournament bid. Merchant s squad received votes in the ESPN/USA Today/WBCA national poll for the first-time in school history. Eastern topped the league in nine statistical categories, while finishing ninth in the nation in rebounding margin and 26th in scoring margin. She also coached Ryan Coleman, the runner-up for MAC Player of the Year, to Kodak/WBCA Honorable Mention All-American accolades. Along with her coaching duties, she assumed the interim role of Associate Athletics Director/Senior Women s Administrator in April of 2005 through June In , the building blocks that Merchant had laid finally came to fruition, as the nation s 14th youngest team captured the program s first-ever conference title as well as an NCAA Tournament berth. A preseason seventh overall pick, the Eagles defied expectations, posting a then school best 22 overall wins and 12 conference victories. Merchant is the first female coach at EMU to win a Mid-American Conference title and was selected the BCAM Coach of the Year. Additionally, the team had an RPI of 62, the lowest in the history of the program and 235 positions over where the program was when Merchant first arrived in The Eagles garnered national attention in the NCAA Tournament as they almost pulled off the unthinkable against No. 3 Boston College in the first round of the Mideast Regional. After being down by nearly 20 points early on, the No. 14 seeded Eagles rallied and had a chance to defeat BC at the buzzer, but the game-winning three-point shot was off target as Eastern fell, In , Merchant put together another strong showing and set the foundation for future success. Despite fielding a very young team, the Eagles turned in another strong showing during Mid-American Conference play, finishing the year with a 9-7 mark, the second most victories within the conference. The season also displayed the tradition of developing a winning program, as EMU set then-school records for singleseason wins, single-season conference wins and the most wins in a four-year period of the program. The Eagles also posted their second-straight victory over a Big Ten opponent, winning at Ohio State after having beaten Michigan State during the season. In her first three years at the helm of the Eagles, Merchant led the squad to three consecutive overall winning and.500-or-better conference seasons for the first time in school history. She also led them to a berth in the 2000 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals for just the second time in school history. Her record in her inaugural year was the first winning record for Eastern since the season and marked just the second time in eight years EMU qualified for the MAC Tournament. In , the team was invited to play in the preseason Women s National Invitational Tournament, the first time EMU had ever been selected to a national tournament. Her team was also ranked 12th academically in the nation by the Women s Basketball Coaches Association with a 3.28 GPA. Merchant has shown her ability to work with players in developing their greatest potential. She coached Stephanie Smiley, the school s first women s basketball Kodak All-American and a four-time MAC honoree, including being the school s first twotime first team All-MAC selection. Seventeen times EMU players have received MAC postseason honors during her tenure. Her inaugural recruiting class in 1999 demonstrated the staff s ability to recruit quality players, with what was considered the best class in the history of the program. EMU signed five all-staters who were all ranked among the state s top 25 players, according to the Detroit Free Press. She followed it up in by signing a top-30 guard in the country, Ryan Coleman. Winning is nothing new to Merchant. The 37-year-old Merchant ( ) took over a fledgling Saginaw Valley State University women s team in and quickly built the Cardinals into a winner, recording a three-year record of She inherited a team with a losing record and directed her first team to a mark and a school record for three-point field goals made. The team improved to and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for just the second time in school history. The Saginaw Valley team followed it up with a 20-7 record, earning a GLIAC Tournament berth along the way and rising as high as 15th in the nation in the NCAA Division II rankings. The squad was also ranked in the top 25 academically by the WBCA in Division II. After spending three seasons at Saginaw Valley, Merchant moved back to her home in 1998, the Mid-American Conference, a place she was all too familiar with after spending four years as a point guard at Central Michigan University from Merchant was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Chippewas, holding the career marks for assists with 463, singleseason assists with 156 and tied for the single-game assists mark with 11. She also finished her career third-best in made three-point field goals at 75. After graduating from Central Michigan with a bachelor's degree in 1991, Merchant was the top assistant women's basketball coach at Oakland University for three years before taking over at Saginaw Valley. Prior to Central Michigan, Merchant was a standout high school player at Traverse City High School. She earned honorable mention All-America honors by USA Today and was a two-time Class A All-State selection. She was also an All-State volleyball player as a prep EMU BASKE TBALL 31

4 Shane Clipfell Shane Clipfell is in his ninth year as an Eagles assistant coach after spending five seasons at Glen Oaks Community College and 11 years at Colon High School, serving as the head coach of both women s basketball programs. After spending two seasons as an assistant at Glen Oaks Community College ( ), the 43-year-old Clipfell ( ) took over the program in 1996 and tallied a overall record. His 1997 team finished with a No. 3 final ranking in the NJCAA after a 28-8 record and a fifth-place finish in the NJCAA Tournament. He was awarded the NJCAA Tournament Sportsmanship Award and was named the National District Coach of the Year. He also had one player selected to the 1997 second-team All-American NJCAA team. He was named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and Western Conference Coach of the Year in In 1998, he had a player chosen to the third-team All-American NJCAA team. While at Colon High School ( ), Clipfell tallied a career varsity head coaching record. His teams captured seven conference championships, three district championships, two regional championships and one Final Four appearance. He assisted in seven of his players receiving collegiate scholarships. He was named the area Coach of the Year by the Sturgis Journal in 1990 and He was also named the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Regional Coach of the Year in 1992, 1994 and In 2005, Clipfell was inducted into the Colon High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his achievements. In 1996, Clipfell coached an allstar team for 10 days in Austria and then was selected to coach Athletes In Action for a summer tour in Bolivia in He also served as the codirector of Glen Oaks Community College summer basketball camps for three years. Clipfell graduated from EMU in 2006 with a bachelor of science degree in communications. Clipfell and his wife, Connie, have two children: John (24) and Lauren (18). THE SHANE CLIPFELL FILE Full Name: Shane Michael Clipfell Born: August 29, 1963 (Niles, Mich.) High School: Colon H.S. (Colon, Mich.) - Graduated in 1981 College: Eastern Michigan University (Graduated Magna Cum Laude in bachelor's in communications) COACHING EXPERIENCE YEAR SCHOOL JOB TITLE RECORD Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 22-8; 15-1 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 23-8; 11-5 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 22-8; 12-4 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 13-16; 9-7 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 18-11; 10-6 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 16-12; 9-7 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 16-14; 8-8 MAC Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach 14-13; 8-8 MAC Glen Oaks Community College Women s Head Coach Women s Head Coach Women s Assistant Coach Colon Community School 11 yrs., Varsity Girls Head Coach OVERALL COACHING RECORD EMU BASKE TBALL

5 Abby Wiseman Former Eastern Michigan University standout basketball player Abby Wiseman is returning home. Wiseman, an assistant coach at Central Michigan University for the past two seasons and a four-year letterwinner in basketball at EMU, is in her first year as an assistant women's basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University. Wiseman joins the EMU staff after spending two seasons as an assistant women s basketball coach at Mid-American Conference rival CMU. Prior to being named to the Chippewa staff, Wiseman was the captain of the Eagles squad her senior season and earned the team hustle and coach s award that year. She was a member of the EMU Student-Athlete Advisory Council in Wiseman s name is securely etched in the EMU record books, earning four letters and finishing her career with 1,244 points, 598 rebounds and 169 assists. She completed her career as the EMU leader in games played (115), free throws made (317) and free throws attempted (496). Wiseman garnered honorable mention All-Mid-American Conference selections in 2002 and The St. Johns, Mich. native is one of only seven Eagles to have scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed 500 plus rebounds in their careers in the Green and White uniform. Wiseman graduated from EMU in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree in secondary education. She was on the Dean s List five times during her time as an Eagle. Wiseman s coaching career began while she was still a player for EMU. She was an assistant coach for the junior varsity girls basketball team from in her hometown of St. Johns, Mich.. Wiseman gained further coaching experience when she served as an assistant for girls basketball at Ann Arbor Huron in She was an assistant for the St. Johns varsity softball team in 2003 and the head coach of the undefeated Ionia junior varsity softball team in A two-time all-stater at St. Johns, Wiseman graduated in 1999 after being named Player of the Year by the Lansing State Journal. She averaged 18.2 points as a senior. THE ABBY WISEMAN FILE Name: Abby Charlene Wiseman Born: March 27, 1981 (St. Johns, Mich.) High School: St. Johns H.S. (St. Johns, Mich.) - Graduated in 1999 College: Eastern Michigan University (Graduated in bachelor's in secondary education) COACHING/PLAYING EXPERIENCE YEAR SCHOOL/CLUB JOB TITLE 2006-pres. Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Central Michigan University Assistant Coach 2004 Ionia High School Junior Varsity Girls Softball Head Coach 2003 Ann Arbor Huron High School Assistant Varsity Girls Basketball Coach 2003 St. Johns High School Varsity Girls Softball Assistant Coach St. Johns High School Junior Varsity Girls Basketball Assistant Coach Eastern Michigan University Four-year letterwinner EMU BASKE TBALL 33

6 Tianna Kirkland Tianna Kirkland begins her first season as the Eagles assistant coach after spending two years as an assistant coach at Butler University. Kirkland, a former Women s Basketball Bulletin Division II third-team All- America selection and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year, spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach on the Butler staff. In addition to her on-court coaching responsibilities for the Bulldogs, Kirkland oversaw the team s travel operations and served as the program s camp director. She also assisted with scouting and recruiting. The Flint, Mich., native arrived at Butler after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan University. Where, her responsibilities included oncourt coaching and the coordination of the program s film exchange, scout team, and team managers. She was also involved in recruiting and individual skill development. Kirkland has served as an instructor at numerous camps, in addition to running Central Michigan s camp for two summers. As a collegian Kirkland enjoyed a stellar four-year career at Ferris State University. She led the team in rebounding as a sophomore, junior and senior and paced the team in scoring her last two seasons. Kirkland helped the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance as a junior. She was named All-GLIAC second-team as a junior and first team All-GLIAC and All- Defense the following year. Kirkland graduated from Ferris State in 2002 as one of the university s most accomplished players. She finished her career as the school s 10th leading scorer (926 points), third-leading rebounder (705) and fourth-best shooter (.540, 350-for-648). She also ranked in the top 10 for free throws made (ninth, 226) and blocks (fifth, 40). A twosport athlete, Kirkland also participated in track and field at FSU. She holds the school indoor and outdoor records in the shot put, in addition to the Bulldogs record discus mark. Kirkland also earned Division II All-America honors in the indoor and outdoor shot put and the discus in Kirkland graduated from Ferris State in 2002 and holds a bachelor s degree in applied biology. She is currently pursuing a master s degree in business administration from Central Michigan, with an expected graduation date in THE TIANNA KIRKLAND FILE Name: Tianna Lind Kirkland Born: Sept. 20, 1979 (Flint, Mich.) High School: Kearsley H.S. (Flint, Mich.) - Graduated in 1997 College: Ferris State University (Graduated in bachelor's in applied biology) COACHING/PLAYING EXPERIENCE YEAR SCHOOL JOB TITLE 2006-pres. Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach Butler University Assistant Coach Central Michigan University Graduate Assistant Coach Ferris State University Four-year letterwinner GLIAC Player of the Year EMU BASKE TBALL

7 Lisa Savoury Lisa Savoury begins her sixth season on the Eagles bench and first as the Director of Basketball Operations, after spending the previous five as an assistant coach/ recruiting coordinator. Savoury came to Ypsilanti after spending two years as an assistant coach at San José State University. The 36-year-old Savoury ( ) has a wealth of experience having served as an assistant women's basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at four different schools, including Mid-American Conference rival Buffalo from August 1994 to September She also held the same position at Cleveland State University ( ) and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ( ) prior to her work at San José State. At SJSU, she helped sign 12 players, including the leading scorer in the California Junior College System, to lead a squad that posted the most wins in the previous eight years of the program. Prior to that, she assisted in the recruitment of Linda Frohlich to UNLV, a player that became the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 1999 and the conference s Player of the Year in 2000, 2001 and Frohlich was drafted by and played for the New York Liberty of the WNBA. While at Cleveland State, Savoury helped sign back-toback honorable mention recruiting classes according to the Blue Star Index, as well as one of the top 100 players in the country. That player, Audra Cook, eventually was the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the Year in 1997 and 2000 MCC Player of the Year. She started her coaching career as an assistant coach at Brigham Young University in 1992 after completing her four years of eligibility with the Cougars. During her coaching stint at BYU, the Cougars won the 1993 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title and captured a berth in the NCAA Tournament. As a four-year letterwinner at BYU, she was a two-time first-team Academic All-WAC selection and a second-team All-WAC pick her senior season and also served as team captain her final two years. Savoury and her husband, Mark, reside in Belleville, Mich., with their son Jayden ( ). THE LISA SAVOURY FILE Name: Lisa Dyann Rathbun-Savoury Born: September 29, 1970 (Cadillac, Mich.) High School: Cadillac H.S. (Cadillac, Mich.) - Graduated in 1988 College: Brigham Young University (Graduated in bachelor s in sociology, minor in Spanish) COACHING/PLAYING EXPERIENCE YEAR SCHOOL JOB TITLE 2006-pres. Eastern Michigan University Director of Basketball Operations Eastern Michigan University Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator San José State University Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator University of Nevada-Las Vegas Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Cleveland State University Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator University at Buffalo Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Brigham Young University Assistant Coach Brigham Young University Four-year letterwinner EMU BASKE TBALL 35

8 Asst. Athletics Trainer Melissa Pohorence Melissa Pohorence is in her third year as an assistant athletics trainer at Eastern Michigan University. She will serve as the primary athletics trainer for the women s basketball, tennis and volleyball teams, while assisting in game-day help with nearly all sports. Pohorence joined EMU in the summer of 2003 after serving as a graduate assistant athletics trainer at John Carroll University for the previous three years. While completing her master s degree at John Carroll, Pohorence was assigned to assist with football, men s basketball and baseball. She completed her M.A. in community counseling in 2003, and she also served as an assistant camp director during summer camps at John Carroll. The 28-year-old Pohorence ( ) earned her bachelor s degree at Ohio University in 2000 with a major in athletic training with an emphasis in exercise physiology. She was a member of the dean s list for academics at Ohio. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Pohorence graduated from Lakewood High School in Support Staff Assistant Sports Information Director Greg Steiner Greg Steiner is in his sixth year with the Eastern Michigan University Sports Information Office and his third as the assistant sports information director. He will serve as the primary contact for the women s basketball and volleyball teams, while assisting in game-day help with nearly all sports. The 25-year-old Steiner (7-1-81) worked as a student sports information director at EMU for three years. A 2003 EMU graduate, he graduated cum laude with a bachelor s degree in marketing. During his tenure as a student assistant for the EMU sports information office, Steiner was responsible for the design and development of the athletics department website, as well as most of the office s publications. Steiner worked four years ( ) for WOHL television in Lima, Ohio, as co-host of the Friday Night Frenzy and The Ottawa Oil Pre-Game Show, a local high school sports show. He completed an internship at Bluffton University during the summer of 2002, where he assisted with the day-to-day operations of the sports information office. A native of Bluffton, Ohio, Steiner graduated from Bluffton High School in He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the MAC News Media Association (MNMA). Fans cheer the Eagles on to another victory at home in the Convocation Center. The Eagles have won 51 of the last 63 home games dating back to the campaign EMU BASKE TBALL