Michigan State University Athletics
Suzy Merchant Begins To Build Coaching Staff
5/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
May 1, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball head coach Suzy Merchant announced Tuesday that AnnMarie Gilbert will remain on the Spartan staff as an assistant coach and will continue her duties as the program's recruiting coordinator. Gilbert, who just completed her fifth year at Michigan State, has been an integral part of MSU's success the past few seasons. Leading the program's recruiting efforts, she has landed some of the nation's top classes, including an incoming class ranked in the top 20.
"I am proud and excited to have a quality coach like AnnMarie Gilbert on my staff," said Merchant. "She's just a class act. It's refreshing to know someone familiar with this elite program is going to be right next to my office. Recruiting her to stay on staff was one of my first priorities as the new head coach. She is an incredible asset to have, and she's proved how valuable she is to the program through her coaching and recruiting skills."
"From the moment she stepped on campus, Suzy Merchant welcomed me with open arms," said Gilbert. "I can't tell you how happy and excited I am to be staying at Michigan State. I want to thank Suzy for this opportunity to work with her, and I want to thank the administration for all of their support, especially President Lou Anna K. Simon, Athletics Director Ron Mason, and Senior Associate Athletics Directors Mark Hollis and Shelley Appelbaum. They've really made me feel like a big part of the Spartan family. Everyone has been so appreciative throughout this process. It's almost like a renewed welcome in a way.
"Suzy is going to be great for MSU," Gilbert continued. "I believe in her and what she wants to accomplish here as a program, and I want to be a part of that. She extended her hand out to me instantly. She told me, `I will learn from you and you will learn from me.' It was an important part of my decision that Suzy wanted me to be here on staff. In just 24 hours, I could tell right away she was going to be great to work with. She understands the game and how to keep poise under pressure. My ultimate goal is to be a head coach, and after working with Suzy, I know I'll learn that much more and be ready to make that next step.
"The girls on the team want me to be here, they've expressed that, and that's really what it's all about. I'm glad I'll be getting an opportunity to come back and work with the student-athletes I've recruited and built relationships with over the years."
Gilbert, a rising star in the collegiate coaching ranks, will be entering her sixth season at Michigan State. In her five seasons as an assistant at MSU, Gilbert has helped the program compile an impressive 120-44 record, good for a .731 winning percentage.
Under her tutelage, Kristin Haynie and Lindsay Bowen were honorable mention All-America selections in 2004-05, while Haynie was a first-round draft pick (No. 9 overall) of the Sacramento Monarchs. In 2005-06, Bowen was selected as a Wooden Award candidate and was named second-team All-Big Ten. This past season, Victoria Lucas-Perry earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, while Rene Haynes garnered second-team honors by the coaches.
As the recruiting coordinator for MSU, Gilbert has consistently brought excellent talent to East Lansing. Last November, Gilbert was instrumental in signing five exceptional student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, including three players ranked in the top 100 nationally. As a class, it has been ranked among the top 20 in the country by several recruiting publications.
Gilbert helped land another stellar recruiting class for the 2006-07 season, including Michigan Miss Basketball Allyssa DeHaan, who went on to become the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. All-Star Girls Report ranked the 2004-05 class 18th in the nation and Courtney Davidson was ranked as the nation's sixth-best point guard. The 2005-06 class was ranked 21st in the nation and includes Aisha Jefferson, who was the nation's sixth-ranked forward.
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During the 2004-05 season, she helped the program to a school best 33-4 record which included a Big Ten Conference championship, a Big Ten Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA National Championship game.
In her first season with the program, Gilbert coached the post players. Under her direction, Liz Shimek was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year along with Lindsay Bowen, marking the first-time ever for two players from the same team to earn such an honor.
Gilbert spent the previous eight seasons (1994-2002) as the head coach of NCAA Division III Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. She is the winningest coach in Oberlin women's basketball history as the Yeoman made six appearances in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) postseason tournament during her tenure. She assisted in the development of eight different all-conference players and the 1999 All-NCAC Newcomer of the Year.
She began her coaching career at Oberlin as an assistant coach with the women's basketball team in 1992-93 and was an assistant men's basketball coach in 1993-94, before assuming the women's basketball head coaching duties in 1994. In addition to coaching, Gilbert served as the Senior Women's Administrator/Associate Director of Athletics at Oberlin from 1996-2002.
Gilbert played for two seasons (1986-88) at Ohio University, gaining Most Outstanding Defensive Player and All-Mid-American Conference honors in 1988. She transferred to Oberlin for her junior and senior seasons (1989-91), where she was a two-time Kodak First-Team All-American, a two-time NCAC Player of the Year, the Honda Division III Athlete of the Year and the Champion USA/WBCA Player of the Year in 1991.
Gilbert led the nation in scoring as a junior (31.1 points per game) and was the nation's second-leading scorer as a senior (31.3 ppg). She set the NCAA Division III record for points in a game with 61 against Allegheny on Feb. 6, 1991. She is still the Oberlin record holder for points in a season (778, 1989-90), field goals in a game (28), field goals in a season (319) and free throws made and attempted in a game (13-of-17 vs. Case Reserve, Jan. 6, 1990).
In just two seasons at Oberlin, she registered 1,527 points to become the school's leading scorer, a record which stood until 2002. All told, Gilbert set 24 school records and 10 conference records as a player and still holds 10 standing NCAA Division III records.
She received an invitation to the Pan Am Games trials in Colorado Springs in 1990. Oberlin retired her jersey in 1994 and in 2001, she was inducted into the Oberlin College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Gilbert was a Street & Smith's All-American, a McDonald's All-Star game participant and was Ohio Miss Basketball her senior year of high school.
She earned her B.A. in sociology with a minor in economics from Oberlin in 1991.
Gilbert has a daughter, Jada, who was born Dec. 13, 2001, and a son, Jaden, who was born Aug. 31, 2004.
THE GILBERT FILE
Name: AnnMarie Gilbert
Family: Daughter - Jada; son - Jaden
Place of Birth: Elyria, Ohio
Education: Oberlin (B.A., sociology, minor in economics, 1991) Collegiate Athletic Experience: Basketball (Ohio 1986-88 and Oberlin 1989-91)
Playing Honors:
Two-time first team Division III All-American (1990, 1991); Two-time NCAC Player of the Year (1990, 1991); Honda Division III Athlete of the Year (1991); Champion USA/WBCA Player of the Year (1991); Set 24 school records and 10 conference records; Inducted into Oberlin College Athletic Hall of Fame (2001).
Coaching Experience:
Oberlin (Assistant Coach, 1992-93); Oberlin (Men's Basketball Assistant Coach, 1993-94); Oberlin (Head Coach, 1994-2002); Michigan State (Assistant Coach, 2002-present)
