Ursinus College Director of Athletics Laura Moliken has announced the hiring of Bobbi Morgan as the Bears’ next women’s basketball head coach.
A distinguished, long-time professional, Morgan comes to Collegeville after a remarkable 13-year stint at Haverford College, which included three Centennial Conference championships, four NCAA Tournament bids, and a pair of NCAA regional finals appearances.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome Bobbi Morgan to Team Ursinus as our next women’s basketball head coach,” stated director of athletics Laura Moliken. “Her resume of on-court success speaks for itself, but her commitment to the entire student-athlete experience, in the classroom and in the community, has been well demonstrated. She will be a dedicated mentor to her student-athletes and an invaluable piece of our athletic department.”
Morgan turned a struggling program into a perennial championship contender at Haverford. Before her arrival, the Fords had posted one winning season in the previous 26. When she left, the team had made nine consecutive conference tournament appearances, claiming the crown in 2014, 2019, and 2020.
The winningest coach in Haverford history with 195 career victories, Morgan is a three-time Centennial coach of the year (2012, 2014, 2020) and was a finalist for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) National Coach of the Year award in 2014, when the Fords finished 24-4 and won an NCAA Tournament contest.
During her time on the Main Line, Morgan recruited the program’s first and only pair of WBCA All-Americans as well as seven 1,000-point scorers. She coached 24 all-conference performers in the past nine seasons, including the school’s first four first team All-CC selections. Morgan also recruited the program’s first CC Player of the Year, CC Rookie of the Year, CC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.
Known for her teams’ suffocating defense, Morgan’s Haverford squads consistently rank in the top-five of Division III in a litany of defensive categories. Her 2018, 2019, and 2020 teams were all top-five in the nation in scoring defense.
“I am beyond excited to join the Ursinus College community and athletics family,” Morgan said. “I know how much athletics are valued and supported at Ursinus College and I am looking forward to helping the women’s basketball team compete at the highest level in the Centennial Conference and beyond.”
Morgan also fostered a successful academic and service record within the program, which earned a WBCA Academic Top-25 ranking three times under her watch. She founded and directed the annual Hoops from the Heart Youth MLK Day Clinic, which has raised more than $100,000 for local shelters. Haverford College was recognized for the Jostens National Community Service Award for this event. Morgan also oversaw significant initiatives in support of ALS and Special Olympics for the women’s basketball program at Haverford.
As Haverford’s Senior Woman Administrator, Morgan attended all Centennial administrative delegate meetings and consulted regularly with the athletics director on department, conference, and NCAA issues, serving on the CC’s Administrative Delegate Committee. Morgan was chair of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Committee from 2016 to 2018 and has served as the committee’s Mid-Atlantic Region representative since 2014.
Before coming to Haverford, Morgan spent four seasons as head coach at Cabrini, where her teams made four straight Pennsylvania Athletic Conference appearances and one trip to the NCAA Tournament. She also spent 14 seasons as head coach at Haverford High School (1990-2004), where she led the Fords to a 272-118 overall record, six Central League titles, and seven PIAA tournament berths. Before that, she was head coach at Academy of Notre Dame (1986-89) and an assistant at Widener University (1985-86).
No stranger to Ursinus, Morgan has a daughter Reilly, who is a senior on the women’s lacrosse team. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Richmond University, ultimately spending almost a decade as sports editor of the Main Line Times, and earned a master’s degree in education from Cabrini.
https://www.ursinusathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2021-22/releases/20210917cmqdme
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