ERIE, Pa. – Mercyhurst College head women’s basketball coach
Deanna Richard has announced the addition of
Courtney Ivan as an assistant coach for the 2010-11 season.
Ivan replaces former three-year assistant coach Tiffany Grubaugh, who left the Lakers to pursue a career as a strength and conditioning instructor/personal trainer with Fitness Evolution in Laguna Hills, Calif.
No stranger to the Mercyhurst program, Ivan was a graduate assistant coach for the Lakers’ program from 2007-09 before being named the head women’s basketball and head women’s volleyball coach at Mercyhurst North East in September 2009.
“I’d like to thank Deanna for this opportunity,” Ivan said. “I’m really excited to have the chance to help guide the Lakers’ program again.”
While at Mercyhurst North East, Ivan led both the women’s basketball and volleyball teams to the Western New York Athletic Conference playoffs. The basketball squad registered a 14-6 record and a third-place finish in the tournament while volleyball posted a 14-14 mark to go along with a fifth-place finish.
“I am thrilled to have Courtney returning to our program,” Richard said. “She has proven to be an excellent coach and recruiter. Now after completing her first season as a head coach, Courtney brings even more experience. Her passion for skill development and understanding of post play will benefit our post game tremendously. Courtney is familiar with our program, our players and philosophy, which makes for a smooth transition.”
Ivan came to Mercyhurst after spending five seasons at Division III Olivet College where Richard was head coach. During her four seasons at Olivet, Ivan gained coaching experience through working the college's annual basketball camps with Richard. She also assisted with camps at Central Michigan and Northwoood.
As a player, Ivan played a key role in the turnaround of the Olivet program. In her freshman season of 2003-04, Ivan helped the team to 10 wins and appeared in 25 games, starting 17. She hit 46 percent of her shots and averaged 7.5 points per game and ranked second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game.
During her junior and senior seasons, Ivan and Olivet won 25 games, including a 9-7 conference record in 2006-07. That year, she appeared in 23 of the team's 24 games, scoring 64 points, grabbing 2.9 rebounds per game and totaling 12 steals.
Ivan also participated on the Olivet track team and was a standout performer in the javelin. She holds the school record in that event.
A native of Belleville, Mich., Ivan graduated Olivet in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in pre-med and a fitness management degree. In 2009, she earned a master’s in organizational leadership while at Mercyhurst College.