Eastern Mennonite University has announced Jenny Logan as the new head women’s basketball coach.
Logan recently completed her third season at Old Dominion Athletic Conference rival Hollins University and will start in Harrisonburg on Aug. 23. She replaces Kevin Griffin, who announced his resignation in July.
As the 12th coach in program history, Logan said she was honored to follow in Griffin’s footsteps and uphold the rich tradition of Eastern Mennonite women’s basketball.
“I am grateful for the opportunity provided by (Director of Athletics) Dave King and the rest of the search committee to become a part of the Eastern Mennonite University community,” she said. “During my time on campus, I was able to learn more about the cohesive efforts of faculty, staff and members of the greater community towards the development of every single student. I am really looking forward to being a part of this learning environment where all aspects of education are valued.”
King said Logan would continue a program that has become a destination for high school graduates who are looking for a place to play basketball at a high level, learn life lessons and develop lasting relationships.
“I’m really excited to have Jenny join us at EMU to take over the quality program that Kevin developed during his time here,” King said. “She is a rising star in the coaching ranks of the ODAC and I’m glad she is coaching for us now rather than against us.”
Logan, who has also been the cross country coach and director of strength and conditioning at Hollins, brings a wealth of knowledge to Eastern Mennonite with a coaching background that includes stops at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y., and another ODAC rival in Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg).
A native of nearby Luray, Va., she completed an All-ODAC career at Bridgewater College in 2012.
“I am honored to be able to return home to the valley and continue to pursue my passion of coaching college basketball,” Logan explained. “While we will continue to recruit all over the Northeast, we will also place an emphasis on recruiting the high caliber student athletes in the Shenandoah Valley.”
King said the local connection was only part of what made Logan the right fit to lead the Royals.
“I’m glad to be able to give Jenny the opportunity to ‘come home’ and give back to basketball and the community after all the game has done for her,” he commented. “Out of a very strong pool of candidates, Jenny’s approach to coaching, her ability to get the most out of her players and her basketball IQ stood out to the committee as attributes that will ensure the continuation of the tradition of strong women’s basketball at Eastern Mennonite. I believe that Jenny will be a very successful coach at EMU and look forward to her being here a long time.”
Logan expects to keep the up-tempo approach that the Royals utilized to earn three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2013-15.
“The future of EMU women’s basketball will continue to build on the strengths of our current student athletes by not only looking to push the pace but to control the pace of the game on both ends of the floor,” she explained. “We will have a smart, attack-mentality offense balanced with a well-prepared defense.”
Logan inherits a team that graduated only two seniors and returns four starters, including All-ODAC Third Team forward Jess Washington (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge). EMU finished second in the ODAC in three point shooting last year and brings back two of the best individuals in Lindsey Krisak (Alexandria, Va./Thomas A. Edison) and Lexi Deffenbaugh (Fishersville, Va./Wilson Memorial).
Logan expects her existing knowledge of the Royals to be a big boost to the coaching transition.
“I am looking forward to coaching both the returning and incoming student-athletes,” said Logan. “Having been in the conference for the last three seasons, I have seen many of the current players develop and am excited about helping them to continue to grow during their college careers. There’s a lot of talent on the roster and I can’t wait to see where it can take us!”
The 2018-19 women’s basketball season opens Nov. 16-17 at the McDaniel Tip-Off Classic in Westminster, Md. The full schedule will be released next month.