Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- gardner_sl@mercer.edu
- Phone:
- (478) 301-2059
Mercer University named coach Susie Gardner as the school’s 10th women’s basketball head coach on June 24, 2010.
Since then, Coach Gardner earned has her 400th career win as a Division I head coach on January 7, 2023 - and including her 60 wins at Division II, Anderson College - has 467 total wins as a head coach. Entering her 14th year as head coach at Mercer, coach Gardner has transformed Mercer into one of the top mid-major programs in the NCAA, let alone the Southeast.
Gardner has accumulated 231 total wins at Mercer, making her the all-time winningest coach in program history. Gardner’s teams have amassed 20-plus wins in six-of-the-last-nine seasons, including five consecutive 20-or-more win seasons from 2014-2019.
Despite finishing 8-6 in conference play in the 2022-23 season, Mercer entered the final regular season game with a chance at winning the SoCon regular season title. Amoria Neal-Tysor tied for leading scorer in the conference at 17.2 points per game. The Bears had two All-Conference players in Neal-Tysor and Summah Evans, who was also named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. Evans became the fourth consecutive Mercer player to win the award.
The Bears (23-7, 13-1 SoCon) continued their championship ways in the 2021-22 season by claiming their fourth Southern Conference Tournament title in the last five years, advancing to the NCAA Tournament to face top-seeded UConn in Storrs, Connecticut. Additionally, it was Mercer’s sixth SoCon crown in the last seven years. The Orange and Black defeated Furman 73-54 in the SoCon Championship to earn a trip to the Big Dance.. Senior Amoria Neal-Tysor excelled offensively in the tournament and scored 26 points in the championship game. Gardner also coached Shannon Titus to her third-consecutive SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award as she became the first player in program history to be named the conference’s best defender multiple times after the 2020-21 season.
Under Gardner’s tutelage, in the 2021-22 season, Mercer finished second in the SoCon in points per game (64.4) and opponent points per game (56.9). The Bears also led the league in field-goal percentage (.418) and three-point field-goal percentage (.362).
The Bears (19-7, 10-3 SoCon) returned to their championship ways in the 2020-21 season by claiming their third Southern Conference Tournament title in the last four years, advancing to the NCAA Tournament to face top-seeded South Carolina in San Antonio. Additionally, it was Mercer’s seventh SoCon crown in the last six years. The Orange and Black defeated Wofford 60-38 in the SoCon Championship to earn a trip to the Big Dance and set a new conference title game record for fewest points allowed. Junior Amoria Neal-Tysor excelled offensively in the tournament and was named the Most Outstanding Player after averaging 25.7 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the floor (29-of-64) and 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from beyond-the-arc. Gardner also coached Shannon Titus to her second-consecutive SoCon Defensive Player of the Year award as she became the first player in program history to be named the conference’s best defender multiple times. Titus’ 73 steals led the SoCon and ranked sixth nationally, while her 41 blocks were the third-most in the conference. In addition to her defensive prowess, Titus also became Mercer’s 27th 1,000-point scorer and the sixth under Gardner.
In the 2019-20 season, Mercer advanced to the SoCon Semifinals for the sixth-consecutive season after knocking off No. 2 Chattanooga 63-55. The Bears became the first 7-seed to advance to the conference semifinals since 2014 with the win. Gardner coached the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year in Titus, who put together one of the best defensive seasons in program history. She became the first Mercer player with 75+ steals and 50+ blocks in the same season and was the only player in Division I to accomplish that feat. Under Gardner, Mercer led the SoCon in blocks, blocks per game, steals, steals per game and turnovers forced while ranking 14th in the country in blocks.
In the 2018-19 season, coach Gardner guided the Bears to an undefeated, 14-0 record in the SoCon for the second consecutive season as the Bears finished the season 25-8 overall. The Bears finished the regular season having won their last 34 consecutive regular season conference games. Mercer also claimed both the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the second consecutive season. The Bears played in the NCAA Tournament against the No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes in which Mercer led after three quarters before falling, 66-61. Amanda Thompson was named Player of the Year by the coaches and Keke Calloway Player of the Year by the media. Coach Gardner was named Coach of the Year.
The 2017-18 season was one for the record books as Mercer registered its first 30-win season in program history and the Bears went undefeated in SoCon play. The Bears concluded the season with a 30-3 overall record, claiming both the Southern Conference regular season and Tournament Titles. Mercer earned its first-ever nod in the NCAA Division I Tournament after snatching the SoCon’s automatic berth. Mercer’s SoCon Regular Season Title was the third consecutive season that the Bears claimed the top slot.
During the 2017-18 season, Mercer led the conference in 12 categories, including but not limited to: scoring offense (70.7), scoring defense (54.9), total assists (538), assists per game (16.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78) and field-goal percentage (43.7). The Bears also finished first in the NCAA in fewest turnovers (303) and turnovers per game (9.2).
Prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Gardner authored a children’s book to help promote children’s literacy titled “1, 2, 3 Team!”. The book, which touches on teamwork and how to be a good teammate, is geared towards readers ages four to eight. Gardner was named a finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Children’s Book category.
In her time at Mercer, Gardner has coached four SoCon Players of the Year, including Kahlia Lawrence who was a three-time winner of the award. In addition, Gardner has coached three Freshman of the Year winners, four Defensive Player of the Year winners including a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, 15 First Team All-Conference honorees and eight Second Team All-Conference winners. Seven freshmen have been awarded a spot on the conference All-Freshmen team under Gardner’s tutelage. Gardner has been named SoCon Coach of the Year four times (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022). Gardner’s teams also excel in the classroom as 73 student-athletes have been named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll/All-Academic Team under her guidance.
Gardner has taken the Bears to seven postseason tournaments in 13 seasons. Prior to Gardner’s arrival, Mercer had not competed in postseason play since 1985. Under Gardner’s guidance, Mercer has taken part in three NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournaments, two Women’s National Invitation Tournaments and two Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournaments.
Before arriving at Mercer, Gardner spent three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach at the University of Florida. She joined the Gators after four seasons (2003-07) as the head coach at the University of Arkansas, giving her seven seasons as a coach in the Southeastern Conference.
While at Florida, the 2009 Gators advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament with Gardner on staff. Florida sandwiched the NCAA Tournament appearance with WNIT appearances in 2008 and 2010 (advancing to the round of 16 during Gardner’s first year and to the second round in 2010).
With Gardner at the Razorbacks’ helm in 2004-05, Arkansas earned a trip to the WNIT tournament. Prior to that, she had the SEC Player of the Year in 2003-04. Arkansas was a combined 64-54 during Gardner’s tenure and her 2005-06 team raced out to the best SEC start in the Lady ‘Hogs program history.
Gardner cut her teeth as a Division I head coach at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., where she had a highly successful seven-season run (1996-2003) and was 112-93. The Lady Govs accomplishments during that period included three Ohio Valley Conference tournament championships (2001, 2002 & 2003), and OVC regular season title (2003) and three NCAA post-season berths (2001, 2002 & 2003). Gardner was tabbed as the OVC “Coach of the Year” in 2003. She also produced the OVC Player of the Year in both 2003 and 2004, with her players also garnering the league’s Freshman of the Year awards twice (2000 and 2001).
From 1992-95, Gardner was the assistant coach at Western Athletic Conference power San Diego State University. In her three seasons with the Aztecs, she was a part of a program that won three-consecutive WAC tournament championships and, subsequently, also made three NCAA tourney appearances. SDSU was 69-20 with Gardner on staff and garnered two WAC regular season crowns in 1994 and 1995.
Gardner is no stranger to middle Georgia or the Southeast region, having spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia (1986-88) following a highly-successful four-year career for the Bulldogs under legendary head coach Andy Landers. UGA made the NCAA Final Four in 1983 and 1985 with Gardner on the squad – including a national runner-up finish in 1985 - and reached the NCAA tournament both of her years as a graduate assistant, as well. The Bulldogs won the SEC title in 1983, 1984 and 1986 as Gardner played alongside other noteworthy Georgia players like Teresa Edwards, Janet Harris and Katrina McClain.
Gardner was a member of the 1983 Sports Festival South Team which earned a gold medal. She was also a member of the USA’s Select Team which competed in Canada.
Gardner earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia in 1986, followed by a Master of Education degree in 1988.
