| Suzy Merchant | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Michigan State University |
| Record | 89-38 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | 1966 |
| Place of birth | Traverse City, Michigan |
| Playing career | |
| 1987-1991 | Central Michigan University |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1992-1995 1995-1998 1998-2007 2007-present 2009 |
Oakland Univ. (asst.) Saginaw Valley State Eastern Michigan Michigan State University USA World Championships (asst.) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 290-158 (.647) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Mid-American Conference West Division | |
Suzy Merchant (born in Traverse City, MI) is the current head coach for the Michigan State University Women's Basketball team. She is married to Gary Rakan and has a young son, Tyler Rakan.[1]
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Merchant owns a 290-158 (.647) career record in 15 years as a head coach at the collegiate level.
After inheriting a team with a losing record, Merchant quickly built the SVSU program into a winner, compiling a 54-29 record during her three-year tenure as head coach. During her first season, the team earned a 15-11 record before going 19-11 in the following year. The latter achievement earned the team a berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in school history. In her final season, Saginaw Valley State collected a 20-7 record, and was ranked as high as 15th in the nation during the season.[2]
While at EMU, she compiled a record of 147-91 (.618), including three 20-win seasons, three postseason appearances and two Mid-American Conference West Division titles. Merchant's 2003-04 Eastern Michigan team claimed the MAC West Division and MAC Tournament championships for the first time in school history, earning the program's first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament en route to a 22-8 record. However, Eastern Michigan stumbled in the first round against eventual sweet sixteener Boston College.[3] She followed that impressive season by winning 23 games in 2004-05, the most in school history. However, a loss in the MAC Tournament semi-final[4] sent EMU to the WNIT where the Eagles fell in the 1st round to eventual semi-finalist Kentucky 79-68.[2]
In 2005-06, the Eagles reached the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season and won their second MAC West title with a 15-1 conference record, notching the most league wins in school history. Their 22-8 overall record put them into the postseason for the third straight year as the Eagles earned a bid to the WNIT. EMU's 1st round opponent, Indiana State, defeated the Eagles 79-57. While on maternity leave for most of last season, Merchant's Eagles finished second in the MAC West Division with a 10-6 league record and finished 16-13 overall, losing to Kent State 70-56 in the MAC conference semi-finals.[2][5]
Merchant was named head coach at Michigan State on Monday April 30, 2007.[2] She replaced Joanne P. McCallie who left Michigan State for the same coaching position at Duke University. In her second season, Merchant ousted McCallie's #1 seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2009 NCAA Division I tournament.[6]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saginaw Valley State University (GLIAC) (1995–1998) | |||||||||
| 1995-1996 | SVSU | 15-11 | 9-9 | T-7th | |||||
| 1996-1997 | SVSU | 19–11 | 10-8 | 3rd | NCAA Div II | ||||
| 1997-1998 | SVSU | 20-7 | 12-6 | T-3rd | |||||
| SVSU: | 54-29 | 31-23 | |||||||
| Eastern Michigan University (MAC) (1998–2007) | |||||||||
| 1998–1999 | EMU | 14-13 | 8-8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1999–2000 | EMU | 16-14 | 8-8 | T-3rd | |||||
| 2000–2001 | EMU | 16-12 | 9-7 | 4th | |||||
| 2001–2002 | EMU | 18-11 | 10-6 | T-4th | |||||
| 2002–2003 | EMU | 13-16 | 9-7 | 4th | |||||
| 2003–2004 | EMU | 22-8 | 12-4 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 2004–2005 | EMU | 23-8 | 11-5 | 2nd | WNIT | ||||
| 2005–2006 | EMU | 22-8 | 15-1 | 1st | WNIT | ||||
| 2006–2007 | EMU | 3-1* | |||||||
| EMU: | 147-91 | 82-46 | |||||||
| Michigan State University (Big Ten) (2007–present) | |||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Michigan State | 23-14 | 10-8 | T–5th | WNIT Runner-up | ||||
| 2008–2009 | Michigan State | 22-11 | 13-5 | T-2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 2009-2010 | Michigan State | 23-10 | 12-6 | 2nd | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2010-2011 | Michigan State | 27-6 | 13-3 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| Michigan State: | 92-41 | 45-22 | |||||||
| Total: | 290-158 | ||||||||
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National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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Merchant played four seasons as a guard at Central Michigan University. She was a four-year starter and a 3 year captain.[7]
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