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| John Carroll athletics photo |
John Carroll head women's basketball coach Kelly Morrone has stepped down from her position and accepted an offer to become the next head coach at Division I Merrimack.
Morrone spent seven seasons at the helm of the JCU program, leading the Blue Streaks to three Division III NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2019-20 Ohio Athletic Conference tournament championship. She was named the OAC Coach of the Year for the 2013-14 and 2018-20 seasons and mentored three players to All-America honors under (Missy Spahar - 2014, Katlyn Spahar - 2015, and Olivia Nagy - 2020). Morrone departs John Carroll with a 117-71 overall record.
"John Carroll University is proud of the success we have enjoyed both academically and athletically during Coach Morrone's tenure," said athletic director Michelle Morgan. "Her knowledge and passion for the game is evident through her commitment to our student athletes as she herself is a continuous student of the game. I am grateful for her contributions and the impact that she has made on the lives of so many of our student athletes at John Carroll University."
A native of Syracuse, New York, Morrone attended the University of South Carolina and was a four-year letter winner and three-year captain for the women's basketball team. During her playing career, she helped guide the Gamecocks to two NCAA Tournament appearances, which included an overall record of 25-7 and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2002. South Carolina finished the 2001-02 campaign ranked sixth in the nation.
Morrone is the fifth coach in the past two years and the seventh in three to go directly from Division III women's head coach to a Division I head coaching job.
From D-III to D-IThe list of coaches to go directly from D-III to D-I head coaching jobs since 2000 is relatively short. Click on the links to see stories on each coach's jump. |
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| Coach, D-III school | D-I school | Year | Best year there | Current job |
| Lisa Stone, UW-Eau Claire | Drake | 2000-01 | 25-8, 2001-02 | D-I St. Louis (26-8 in 15-16) |
| Candace Crabtree, Rowan | Drexel | 2000-01 | 19-10, 2000-01 | Out of coaching |
| Richard Barron, Sewanee | Princeton | 2000-01 | 21-7, 2005-06 | Maine men's head coach |
| Tammy Smith, Muhlenberg | Lafayette | 2001-02 | 14-16, 2007-08 | Out of coaching |
| Julie Goodenough, Hardin-Simmons | Oklahoma St. | 2002-03 | 8-20, 2003-04 | D-I Abilene Christian (26-4 in 15-16) |
| Mary Hegarty, Chapman | Long Beach St. | 2003-04 | 19-9, 2004-05 | Out of coaching |
| Kristin Hughes, Case | Colgate | 2004-05 | 12-18, 2004-05 | Out of coaching |
| Stefanie Pemper, Bowdoin | Navy | 2008-09 | 25-8, 2017-18 | Fired after 12 seasons |
| Scott Rueck, George Fox | Oregon St. | 2010-11 | 31-4, 2016-17 | Oregon State |
| Aaron Roussell, Chicago | Bucknell | 2012-13 | 28-6, 2018-19 | D-I Richmond (15-17 in 19-20) |
| Greg Todd, Transylvania | Morehead St. | 2013-14 | 24-11, 2018-19 | Morehead State |
| Nancy Fahey, Washington U. | Illinois | 2016-17 | 11-19, 2019-20 | Illinois |
| Loree Payne, Puget Sound | Northern Arizona | 2016-17 | 16-15, 2019-20 | Northern Arizona |
| Marc Mitchell, FDU-Florham | St. Peter's | 2017-18 | 9-21, 2019-20 | St. Peter's |
| Scott Hemer, SUNY Geneseo | Canisius | 2017-18 | 11-19, 2018-19 | Canisius |
| Michael Meek, George Fox | Portland | 2018-19 | 21-11, 2019-20 | Portland |
| Trevor Woodruff, Scranton | Bucknell | 2018-19 | 24-6, 2019-20 | Bucknell |
| Lauren Sumski, Rhodes | Lipscomb | 2018-19 | 16-16, 2019-20 | Lipscomb |
| Carla Berube, Tufts | Princeton | 2018-19 | 26-1, 2019-20 | Princeton |
| Kelly Morrone, John Carroll | Merrimack | 2020-21 | ||