Wasting no time filling out her coaching staff, new University at Albany women’s basketball head coach Colleen Mullen has announced the hiring of Yvonne Hawkins and Megan Methven as assistant coaches.
For Hawkins, who spent the last seven seasons as the associate head coach at Boston College, the move represents somewhat of a homecoming. Hawkins was an assistant coach at UAlbany for 15 years from 1987-2002 during which time she helped lead the transition from Division III to Division I athletics. In 2002, she began a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Yale University, before arriving at Boston College for the first time in 2004. In 2008, Hawkins was hired as the associate head coach at Denver before returning to Boston College in 2012 as associate head coach.
“I am so excited to have Yvonne join our staff here at UAlbany,” said Mullen. “Yvonne is a special hire for me. After previously serving as an assistant at UAlbany for 15 years where she helped the program move from Division III into Division I, Yvonne has a strong investment in and passion for the success of this program. She brings 30 years of experience at every level and is among the most well-respected coaches in the country as a proven winner and teacher of the game. Yvonne’s energy, enthusiasm and leadership will be critical in continuing to build upon our championship culture.”
Hawkins’ return to UAlbany will reunite her with one of her former recruits. Senior Women’s Administrator and women’s basketball supervisor Cara White played for Hawkins from 1998-2002.
“I am excited to welcome Coach Hawkins back to the Great Dane family,” said White. “She recruited me as a student-athlete to the UAlbany women’s basketball program in the late 90’s and had such a positive impact on my collegiate experience and beyond. Coach Hawkins is a dynamic coach who excels at motivating student-athletes to perform their best on and off the court. Her fun-loving and charismatic personality will instantaneously connect her with prospective student-athletes and former women’s basketball players, alike.”
Methven joins Mullen’s UAlbany staff after working with her for the last two years as an assistant at Army West Point. Previously, Methven spent three seasons at the Division II level as an assistant coach at Stonehill College.
“I am thrilled to announce Megan will be joining the Great Dane family,” said Mullen. “Megan is a rising star in our profession and I’m confident her leadership ability will prove to be an integral part of the future success of our program. She is a natural teacher and a proven recruiter. Megan’s exceptional communication skills, combined with her dynamic personality and knowledge of the game, will bring additional versatility to our program.”
Last season, UAlbany made its seventh-straight postseason appearance, facing off against the University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the WNIT.
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