Suzy Merchant has been a head basketball coach in the collegiate ranks for 19 years, coaching Saginaw Valley State (1995-1998), Eastern Michigan (1998-2007) and Michigan State (2007-present) . In that span, her teams have never had a losing record in either overall record or conference play. That is an impressive record (which coincidentally is matched by Tom Izzo).
Last night, her MSU Spartans won a share of the Big Ten regular season title. It is Coach Merchant's second conference title with the Spartans and the fourth conference title of her impressive career. (She won two Mid-American Conference titles with EMU in 2004 and 2006. Her first Big Ten title with the Spartans was in 2011).
I spend an inordinate amount of time hand-wringing about the MSU men's basketball team, but not enough time discussing the great job Suzy Merchant has done here in East Lansing. Coach Merchant, along with her great senior leaders Annalise Pickrel and Clarissa Bell, and dazzling freshman Aerial Powers (perhaps the greatest sports name in history) have had a sensational season and I am here to sing their praises. Best of luck to them in the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament.
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