Luke Carns Joins Women’s Basketball Coaching Staff
4/9/2025 12:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MACON – Mercer women's basketball head coach Michelle Clark-Heard announced the addition of three-year collegiate coaching veteran Luke Carns as an assistant coach on Wednesday.
An up-and-coming coaching professional, Carns also has previous stops on the staffs at Texas State and Mississippi State.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Luke at Mississippi State but have known him through family & friends from our hometown of Louisville, Ky," Heard said. "During our time together at Mississippi State, I was impressed with his ability to enhance the skills of each player, along with his ability to build great relationships with them. I can't wait for Bear Nation to get to know Coach Carns."
As the director of player personnel at Texas State for the 2024-25 campaign, Carns played an integral role in a 13-win season for the Bobcats that culminated in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. TSU boasted one of the nation's top bench-scoring teams (22.5 points/game), while also tacking up nearly 20.4 free throws an outing as well (25th NCAA). The Bobcats also forced an impressive 17.4 turnovers per game, including seven 20-plus turnover outings by their opponents.
Carns was on the sidelines as a graduate assistant for two seasons (2022-24) at Mississippi State as the Bulldogs churned out a cumulative 45-23 (.662) record and two postseason berths. The Bulldogs carried NCAA Division I's 14th-best field goal percentage defense amid a run to an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 that capped the 2022-23 campaign. MSU ranked among the nation's top 30 teams in seven statistical categories on the way to a deep run in the 2024 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).
A native of Louisville, Ky., Carns earned his bachelor's degree in sport administration from Louisville in 2022, and completed his graduate work in sport administration at Mississippi State in 2024.
An up-and-coming coaching professional, Carns also has previous stops on the staffs at Texas State and Mississippi State.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Luke at Mississippi State but have known him through family & friends from our hometown of Louisville, Ky," Heard said. "During our time together at Mississippi State, I was impressed with his ability to enhance the skills of each player, along with his ability to build great relationships with them. I can't wait for Bear Nation to get to know Coach Carns."
As the director of player personnel at Texas State for the 2024-25 campaign, Carns played an integral role in a 13-win season for the Bobcats that culminated in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. TSU boasted one of the nation's top bench-scoring teams (22.5 points/game), while also tacking up nearly 20.4 free throws an outing as well (25th NCAA). The Bobcats also forced an impressive 17.4 turnovers per game, including seven 20-plus turnover outings by their opponents.
Carns was on the sidelines as a graduate assistant for two seasons (2022-24) at Mississippi State as the Bulldogs churned out a cumulative 45-23 (.662) record and two postseason berths. The Bulldogs carried NCAA Division I's 14th-best field goal percentage defense amid a run to an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 that capped the 2022-23 campaign. MSU ranked among the nation's top 30 teams in seven statistical categories on the way to a deep run in the 2024 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).
A native of Louisville, Ky., Carns earned his bachelor's degree in sport administration from Louisville in 2022, and completed his graduate work in sport administration at Mississippi State in 2024.
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