Megan Duffy announced as women's basketball head coach

Megan Duffy became the ninth head coach of Miami women's basketball Monday morning. She takes over the program from Cleve Wright, who was relieved of his duties March 10.

"Megan's experiences as a player and coach will bring a valuable perspective to Miami women's basketball," Athletic Director David Sayler said in a press release. "As a former All-American point guard and WNBA player, she understands the drive and passion needed to win championships. As a coach, she understands how to recruit, develop players and will serve as a great role model for our student-athletes. Most importantly, she understands how to win and achieve excellence at esteemed academic institutions."

Duffy comes to Miami after three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan. During her time, the Wolverines won at least 20 games each season and advanced to the Women's National Invitational Tournament's Final Four each year. This past season, UM won a school-record 28 games and a WNIT title. Duffy helped Michigan rank 20th nationally -- its first time in the top 25 in four years.

The RedHawks also found a strong recruiter in Duffy, as she assisted Michigan with recruiting classes that ranked fifth nationally in 2015 and 12th in 2016. She's recruited and coached eight All-Big Ten selections and two All-Freshman Team picks, including Katelynn Flaherty, the 2014-15 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, who scored 1,992 points in three years with Duffy.

"I am incredibly excited and humbled to become the next Miami women's basketball coach," Duffy said. "It is evident through the passion and leadership of President Crawford and Director of Athletics, David Sayler, that Miami is set-up for success. I cannot thank them enough for the opportunity to join the rich academic and athletic tradition at Miami University."

Before Michigan, Duffy worked as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at George Washington University. She has experience in on-floor coaching, player development, scouting and monitoring student-athletes' academic performance. Prior to George Washington, Duffy worked as an assistant coach at St. John's College for three years and as the recruiting coordinator during her final season there.

A Dayton native, Duffy had a successful collegiate career as a player at Notre Dame. She helped her team to four straight NCAA appearances and two trips to the Sweet 16. She is one of four players in the school's history to total at least 1,000 points, 500 assists and 200 steals.

She won a gold medal at the 2005 World University Games and was the 31st pick in the 2006 WNBA draft. Duffy played three seasons with the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. She also played overseas with teams in Romania, Slovakia, Italy and Wales.

With Duffy's diverse background and history of success, the Miami community turns to her to revitalize a struggling program.

Wright coached the RedHawks to go 11-21 this past season -- the most wins the team saw during Wright's four years at Miami. The women's basketball program hasn't seen success past the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament since the 2012-13 season. The team hasn't competed in the NCAA tournament since 2007-08, when it lost in the first round.

Duffy will be officially introduced to the Miami community today at a press conference at 11 a.m. The conference is free and open to the public at the Gross Center.