Davenport University has announced the hiring of Rick Albro to serve as the head coach of the women’s basketball program which will be entering NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) beginning in 2017-18. Albro becomes the fourth head coach in the program’s history and will inherit a program that has a .837 (427-83) winning percentage since its inception in 2002-03.
“Rick brings extensive experience in recruiting, student-athlete development and knowledge of the game to Davenport,” said athletic director Paul Lowden. “He has coached at the NCAA Division I, II and NAIA levels with experience with both men and women’s basketball programs. Rick also brings significant knowledge of West Michigan working directly with and in high schools including Grand Rapids Northview and Grandville.”
Albro comes to Davenport from Western Michigan University where he served as an assistant coach since October 2015. His primary duties included individual skill development and defensive game planning. He also had an active role in recruiting, academics and day-to-day operations under head coach Shane Clipfell.
Albro was also on the sidelines for the University of Detroit-Mercy women’s basketball program during the 2014-15 season for the Titans. Prior to working with Detroit-Mercy, he spent four years (2009-13) as an athletic director at Grand Rapids Northview High School in which during the last three years he coached the girls’ basketball program.
Albro’s other collegiate coaching stops include an assistant position at Michigan State University under Suzy Merchant (2007-10) and an assistant men’s role at Cleveland State University (2003-06). He spent the 1990 through 2003 campaigns as the head men’s basketball coach at Aquinas College. In addition, Albro was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Hall of Fame in 2014.
Albro graduated from Western Michigan in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and earned his master’s degree in Education Administration from Central Michigan in 1985.
“I would like to thank Dr. Richard Pappas, Dr. Walter O’Neill, Mr. Paul Lowden and Mrs. Ronda Varnesdeel for this opportunity to coach at a quality academic and athletic institution. Their commitment to the athletic program is demonstrated in their outstanding facilities and the quality student-athletes they have been able to recruit. We face an exciting challenge transitioning to the NCAA Division II level and the GLIAC. We will eagerly confront this challenge with great fortitude and resolve.”
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