Coach Gardner Announces Women’s Basketball Staff

MACON, Ga. – Mercer women's basketball head coach Susie Gardner has announced her coaching staff for the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Coach Gardner and the women's basketball program is excited to welcome four new assistant coaches for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Joining the Bears are Lindsay Hieronymus, Jordan Walker, and Jocelyn Brown.

Former Director of Player Personnel and Operations, Ali Trani has been promoted to Assistant Coach as well.

ALI TRANI – ASSISTANT COACH

Trani will transition into her new role as an assistant coach for the Bears beginning the 2023-24 season. Trani spent the 2022-23 season with Mercer as the Director of Player Personnel and Basketball Operations.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to work at Mercer, with this team, under Coach Gardner," said Trani. "I am so excited to work with this new team and staff, in this elevated role. Mercer, and coach Gardner, have given me so much, and I am so grateful that I can continue to learn, grow, and pour into this program, like it has poured into me these past few years! The culture that coach Gardner has built here at Mercer, both on and off the court, is an environment and family that I have been extremely blessed to have in my life, and I cannot wait to see what this upcoming season has in store. Go Bears!"

Trani joined Mercer after one season as an assistant coach at Washington College during the 2021-22 season.

Trani had experience with Mercer prior to joining the team in 2022, as she served as a graduate assistant with the team from 2019-2021. As a graduate assistant she aided the assistant coaches in organizing, recruiting, and developing the women's basketball players. She also evaluated recruits via film and organized the team's recruiting database through ARMS.

As the Director of Player Personnel last season, Trani coordinated all aspects of travel including lodging, transportation, team itineraries, food, and away practice/game management. She managed and oversaw the team's budget as well as provided on court coaching and skill development and assisted in scouting opponents. She executed and planed the women's basketball team's summer camps. Additional responsibilities included administering and supervising the team's graduate assistants and managers.

Trani played collegiate basketball at UNC Asheville. During her four-year career, she was a two-time Big South Conference Tournament Champion and Big South regular season champion. She was a part of back-to-back NCAA Tournament teams with UNC Asheville.

Trani graduated from UNC Asheville in 2019 with a BS in Health and Wellness Promotion. She earned her master's degree from Mercer in 2021 in Higher Education Leadership.

COACH GARDNER ON ALI TRANI
"Ali started as a graduate assistant with our program and as soon as I had an opening for the position of Director of Player Personnel, I called her, and she came back last year in that role. When we were allowed to add new coaches, I promoted her to the role of Assistant Coach. She is and has been an invaluable member of our staff. She has an outstanding relationship with our players, and I am excited to see that, now that she will be allowed to scout, recruit on campus and work with our players on the court. This is a very well-deserved promotion."

LINDSAY HIERONYMUS – ASSISTANT COACH

Lindsay Hieronymus headshot

Hieronymus joins Mercer after spending last season as Assistant Women's Basketball Coach at Miami Ohio.

"I am thrilled to join the staff at Mercer University," said Hieronymus. "The culture of excellence that coach Gardner has built here at Mercer is nothing short of amazing, and I could not be more excited to be a part of it. I look forward to working with the great players and staff here in Macon!"

While at Miami, Hieronymus implemented and oversaw data and statistical analysis, including analysis of practice, games, and opponent scouting. She oversaw team rebounding, including implementing new technique and scheme. With Hieronymus' guidance, in the 2022-23 season, the RedHawks ranked third in the conference in overall rebounding and rebounding margin. A big improvement for Miami after the previous season they ranked ninth in both categories. She also assisted in many other aspects of the program, including recruiting, scouting, fundraising, male practice players, and wing and forward development.

Prior to joining Miami, Hieronymus served as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Eastern Kentucky women's basketball program for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and served as an assistant coach in the spring of 2021. Hieronymus joined the Eastern Kentucky women's basketball program as the director of player development in the summer of 2019.

During her time at EKU, Hieronymus had various responsibilities, including general management and assistance with women's basketball daily operations, organization and coordination of daily schedule, coordination of team travel and meals, co-director of 2019 Elite Camp, assistance with practice and game planning, statistical tracking of practice and games, assist in official and unofficial visits, and creation of digital content for social media and recruiting. In 2021 she was also the director of EKU's Elite Camp and assisted with opponent scouting reports.

She was also the liaison to other branches of the department including academics, branding, and marketing, fundraising, facilities, and scheduling.

A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Hieronymus was a four-year member of the women's basketball team at Transylvania University, where she helped the program win three conference regular season championships and one conference tournament title while making two NCAA Tournament appearances. A captain and starter during her senior campaign, Hieronymus twice earned academic all-conference honors from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and was on the league's all-sportsmanship team her senior year. She also received Transylvania's Female Senior Leadership Award in 2016.

Hieronymus graduated from Transylvania with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2016. She completed her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in leadership from Averett University in 2019.

COACH GARDNER ON LINDSAY HIERONYMUS
"Lindsay comes to us after being highly recommended by two people that I respect greatly, and she is as good as advertised. She has great passion for the game, is incredibly organized, and in a very short time has added to our program. Lindsay will push our players to be the best versions of themselves by her actions and her ability to motivate in a positive manner. She has recruiting connections in the Midwest, and we hope to make progress in that area as well. I am excited for our coaching staff and our players to learn under her."

JORDAN WALKER – ASSISTANT COACH

Jordan Walker headshot

Walker joins Mercer after an impressive collegiate career that included two seasons at Western Michigan before transferring to Tennessee where she concluded her playing career after three seasons as a Lady Vol.

"I am blessed for the opportunity to start my coaching career alongside coach Susie Gardner and be able to learn so much from someone with such a great coaching résumé," said Walker. "I am ready to grow with the rest of the staff, while also excited to build relationships with the girls and help them reach their full potential on and off the court."

In her playing career, Walker scored over 1,300 points with more than 700 rebounds and 400 assists.

At Tennessee, Walker started in 77 of 96 games played over her three seasons. She averaged 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals during her time in Knoxville. She also helped lead Tennessee to three NCAA Tournament appearances.

At Western Michigan, Walker started in 54 of 64 games. She averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. She scored in double figures in 38 of her 64 games and posted three double-doubles during her time at WMU. She also had 12 games of 20 or more points and two 30+ point games.

Walker grew up in Muskegon, Michigan where she had a highly successful high school career including being named Miss Basketball in the state of Michigan in 2017. Walker graduated from WMU in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in communications. She earned a master's degree from Tennessee in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation in May of 2022.

She then earned her second master's degree in May of 2023 in the Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications (ALEC) Department with a concentration on Name, Image, and Likeness and Women's Leadership. Walker was also an active participant in leadership programs such as the So You Want To Be A Coach Program and the Above The Rim Summit.

COACH GARDNER ON JORDAN WALKER
"I am excited to introduce Jordan Walker to the coaching world. She had an outstanding basketball career and competed at the highest level. She will be able to relate to our players as she finished playing last year, so our players will know that she understands where they are coming from. As the starting point guard at the University of Tennessee, she took on a leadership role and that too, will translate to our players who strive to be leaders. I am confident that Jordan will bring the energy and basketball expertise to our program, and I am looking forward to working with her."

JOCELYN BROWN – ASSISTANT COACH

Jocelyn Brown headshot

Brown joins the Bears after spending three seasons (2018-21) as an Assistant Coach at Western Kentucky. In 2019-20, Brown helped coach the Lady Toppers to a 22-7 record overall and a perfect 13-0 home record. WKU extended its 20-win season streak to eight consecutive, a new program record. At the conclusion of the season, Brown was named one of 50 Impactful Assistant Coaches in NCAA Division I by Silver Waves Media.

"I'm so excited to have the privilege to join Coach Gardner and the Mercer University family," said Brown. "Coach Gardner has set a standard that many programs strive to reach in not just wins but respect. My family and I are honored and grateful."

In her first season on staff with the Lady Toppers, Brown helped to lead WKU to its seventh consecutive 20-win season as the squad won six of its final eight games to finish with a 20-15 record. WKU reached the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Rice and made a run to the third round of the Postseason WNIT, knocking off Miami (Ohio) on the road and Morehead State.

Prior to WKU, Brown spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State from 2014-18, working closely with the program's guards as well as serving as the Nittany Lions' recruiting coordinator. During her four years with the program, Brown helped to push Penn State from a six-win season in 2014-15 to 38 combined wins in 2016-17 and 2017-18; in addition, Teniya Page, one of the athletes with which Wyatt worked most closely, earned back-to-back All-Big Ten honors as well as a WBCA Honorable Mention All-America nod in 2017.

A native of Lawrenceville, Georgia, Brown has spoken several times at the WBCA's "So You Want to be a Coach" clinic at the Women's Final Four and also spoke at the Nike Assistant Coaches Roundtables in 2010 and 2014. While in college, she spent four summers as an assistant director with Peach State Basketball, Inc. coordinating instructional camps and high school showcases.

As a player, she started her collegiate career at Kennesaw State where she averaged 7.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27 appearances. She then transferred to Appalachian State. As a senior, Brown was selected as a team captain and started 21 of 28 games. Brown averaged 9.3 points with 28 blocks during the 2005-06 campaign.

Jocelyn Brown's maiden name was Wyatt before recently marrying. Brown received her bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in biology and psychology from Appalachian State in 2006. She also earned her master's degree in exercise science from Georgia in 2008.

COACH GARDNER ON JOCELYN BROWN
"I have known Jocelyn for 18 years and have watched her grow from a graduate assistant to a recruiting coordinator at a variety of universities. Jocelyn is well known and respected in the state of Georgia and there is a ton of talent in our state, so this was another draw to her. She will be an amazing role model for our players, and they will love her kindness and passion for the game. She will push them on the court, but they will know that she cares about them as young women. She and I have talked about working together for years, and that day has now come."

FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

Mercer University Athletics

Coach Gardner Announces Women’s Basketball Staff

Related Videos

Sponsors

Footer