Mercer women’s basketball coach Susie Gardner resigns

According to the University, Gardner is MU basketball’s – men or women – all-time winningest coach.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Mercer women’s basketball coach, Susie Gardner, informed the team on Saturday she has resigned as head coach to pursue other coaching opportunities. That’s according to a news release from Mercer University.

“Mercer will be forever indebted to Susie Gardner for the incredible impact that she had on our student-athletes, both on and off of the court, over the course of her 14-year career here in Macon,” said Mercer Athletics Director Jim Cole. “She has made significant contributions to the sport of women’s basketball, and we could not be more proud of all of her accomplishments.

The news comes after the team lost to Chattanooga in the SoCon Tournament semifinals on Friday.

Gardner compiled a 247-189 (.567) record in 14 seasons (2010-24) as head coach of the Bears— a span that is highlighted by nine SoCon championships and seven postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournament berths.

According to the University, Gardner is MU basketball’s – men or women – all-time winningest coach. Her teams had 20-plus wins six times, including a run of five-straight seasons with 20 or more wins from 2014-19. She led Mercer to a 30-3 record in 2017-18 on the way to claiming both the SoCon regular season and tournament titles. That squad put together a school record 27-game win streak before falling to then-No. 4 Georgia, 68-63, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

During her tenure, Gardner was named SoCon Coach of the Year four times (2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22).