Suzy Merchant Hometown: Traverse City, Mich. Position: Head Coach Experience: Second Season

A long and steady journey through the coaching ranks led veteran head coach Suzy Merchant to her dream job in East Lansing, as she was named head coach of the Michigan State women's basketball program on April 30, 2007.

"Growing up in Michigan and having family that attended Michigan State, I can tell you that this is my dream job," said Merchant. "Women's basketball has gone to the next level at Michigan State. A great foundation has been laid, not only in terms of winning but also in terms of the great fan base that has been built. The game-day environment in the Breslin Center is truly special and people around the state and around the country have taken notice. It's exciting to know how the campus and the people in the community have embraced this basketball program to create that atmosphere."

Merchant has been a part of winning programs every step of her career. In her 13 years as a head coach, she has won more than 60 percent of her games, collecting a 224-134 (.626) career record as a head coach at Saginaw Valley State, Eastern Michigan and MSU. She is the winningest coach in Eastern Michigan history, compiling a 147-91 record in her nine seasons.

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, men's or women's, in MSU history. The 23 wins tied for the fourth-winningest season in program history and also tied a career-high for Merchant.

In addition, the Spartans collected their fifth-straight 20-win season against one of the toughest schedules in the Big Ten, and won 10 conference games for the sixth consecutive season. MSU also advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the fifth-straight year after beating Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

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 addition, to their success on the court, four Spartans were named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team, including DeHaan, who was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Third Team selection.

Upon her hiring at MSU, Merchant instantly immersed herself in the Greater Lansing community - she has helped at events for Ele's Place, the Special Olympics, Women Working Wonders for the Sparrow Foundation, the Mid-Michigan Children's Initiative, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lansing and the Haven House.

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. 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. She followed that impressive season by winning 23 games in 2004-05, the most in school history, and sent EMU to the postseason for the second straight year with a WNIT appearance.

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. While on maternity leave for most of her last season, Merchant's Eagles finished second in the MAC West Division with a 10-6 league record and finished 16-13 overall.

Before coaching at Eastern Michigan, Merchant spent three seasons at Saginaw Valley State, posting a 54-29 (.651) record. After inheriting a team with a losing record, Merchant quickly built the SVSU program into a winner, going 15-11 in her first season before going 19-11 in year two while earning a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for just 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.

The Traverse City, Mich., native, has 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, all in the state of Michigan. A four-year starter and three-year captain at Central Michigan, Merchant began her coaching career at Oakland University, serving as the top assistant coach for three seasons.

Here's a closer look at Merchant's career:

• Although Merchant only coached four games in the 2006-07 season, she passed two milestones: she picked up her 200th career win with a victory over Morehead State in the second game of the season Nov. 18, and became the winningest coach in Eastern Michigan history with a win over Detroit Dec. 6.

• In 2005-06, Merchant guided the Eagles to a 22-8 overall record and a 15-1 record in the Mid-American Conference en route to the program's second MAC West Division Championship and a postseason WNIT berth. The 15 league wins were the most in program history, and it was the third consecutive time the Eagles had reached the 20-win mark. Leading the West Division wire-to-wire in the regular season, the Eagles won 18 out of their final 20 games to close the year. Individually, Ryan Coleman earned honorable mention All-America honors for the second straight season and closed out her career as the second all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,793 points. Coleman, a top-30 guard nationally out of high school, is one of two players in MAC history to record 1,500 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.

• EMU recorded the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2003-04 and 2004-05. The 2004-05 season saw the Eagles win a school-record 23 games while earning the school's first-ever bid to the WNIT. Eastern Michigan, which received votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll for the first time in school history, topped the league in nine statistical categories and finished ninth in the nation in rebounding margin. Three players earned All-MAC honors, including Ryan Coleman, who became the second Eagle in program history to earn honorable mention All-America accolades. Along with her coaching duties, Merchant assumed the interim role of Assistant Athletics Director/Senior Women's Administrator in April 2005 through June 2006.

• After building a program for five years, Merchant's hard work paid off in 2003-04, 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 posted a then-school record 22 overall wins and 12 conference victories. EMU garnered national attention in the NCAA Tournament as it almost pulled off an upset against third-seeded Boston College in the first round, falling just short on a last-second shot, 58-56. Merchant became the first female coach at EMU to win a MAC title and was selected as the BCAM (Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan) Coach of the Year.

• In 2002-03, the Eagles turned in another strong showing in MAC play with a young team, finishing the year with a 9-7 mark, the second most victories within the conference.

• EMU set then-school records for single-season wins (18) and single-season conference wins (10) in 2001-02.

• In her first three years at the helm of the Eagle program, Merchant led the team to three consecutive overall winning and .500-or-better conference seasons for the first time in school history. Her 14-13 record in her first season was the first winning record for the program since the 1985-86 season and marked just the second time in eight years EMU qualified for the MAC Tournament.

• In 2000-01, her team was ranked 12th academically in the nation by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association with a 3.28 GPA.

• Merchant had the ability to recruit top-notch student-athletes in her tenure at Eastern Michigan. Her first recruiting class in 1999 featured five all-state players who were all ranked among the state's top 25 players, according to the Detroit Free Press. She followed it up in 2000-01, signing Ryan Coleman, one of the top 30 guards in the country.

• After getting the talent to Eastern Michigan, Merchant also developed it. EMU players received postseason MAC honors over 20 times during her nine seasons in Ypsilanti, including the only two All-Americans in program history (Stephanie Smiley, Ryan Coleman).

• Merchant's first head coaching position was at Saginaw Valley State, where she started in 1995. She inherited a losing team, but quickly built the Cardinals into a winner, recording a three-year mark of 54-29, including a 15-11 record her first season. Her second year, the team improved to 19-11 and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for just the second time in school history. The 1997-98 team followed with a 20-7 record and was ranked 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.

• 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, 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., she earned honorable mention All-America honors by USA Today and was a two-time Class A all-state selection at Traverse City High School. She was also an all-state volleyball player.

THE MERCHANT FILE

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: Assistant Coach at Oakland University (1992-95); Head Coach at Saginaw Valley State University (1995-98); Head Coach at Eastern Michigan University (1998-2007).

FAMILY: Husband, Gary Rakan and son, Tyler Rakan.

COACHING RECORD: 224-134 (.626) in 13 years as a head coach; 54-29 in three years at Saginaw Valley State University (1995-98); 147-91 in nine years at Eastern Michigan University (1998-2007).

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in health/fitness from Central Michigan in 1991; master's degree in educational leadership from Saginaw Valley State in 2000.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE: Four-year starter and three-year captain at Central Michigan (1987-91).

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Coach - 1997 NCAA Division II Tournament, 2004 NCAA Tournament, 2005 WNIT, 2006 WNIT, 2008 WNIT.

MERCHANT'S YEAR-BY-YEAR HEAD COACHING RECORD

* Missed all but four games of 2006-07 while on maternity leave.