Melanie Moore - Women's Basketball Coach - University of Michigan Athletics

Melanie Moore

Title:
Associate Head Coach

Melanie Moore enters her third year back on the sidelines at Michigan in 2025-26after returning to Ann Arbor in 2023. She spent four seasons as the head coach at Xavier and previously spent seven seasons (2012-19) at Michigan.

With just four returners, five freshmen and three transfers, Michigan did not miss a beat in 2024-25 en route to winning 23 games and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Olivia Olson and Syla Swords became the first freshman teammates in Big Ten history to each score 500 points in the same season, with Olson setting a new freshman program record with 553 points. Fellow freshman Mila Holloway set a new Michigan assists record for a freshman, handing out 148 assists on the season. Olson was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year, with her and Swords each earning a spot on the all-freshman team and the Big Ten second team. Michigan's 23 wins is tied for the third-most in program history, with the Wolverines making the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight season.

In her first season back at Michigan, she helped sign a recruiting class ranked No. 8 in the final recruiting rankings. Michigan won 20 games in 2023-24, making the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight season after returning just two starters from the previous season.

While at Xavier, Moore coached two players to All-Big East honors, coming from All-Freshman honoree Fernanda Ovalle this past season and A'riana Gray after she led the conference in rebounding in 2019-20. Xavier won the 2022 Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout against Cincinnati and had three players named CSC Academic All-District. Xavier had 16 players earn Academic All-Big East Honors during her four seasons, with Ayanna Townsend being named the 2021-22 Big East Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Musketeer to earn the academic honor.

During her first stint at Michigan, Moore helped the Wolverines to a 156-85 overall record and postseason berths in all seven seasons, including three NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2017 WNIT title. She was responsible for coaching and developing the post players, most notably Thome and Hillmon, two of Michigan's four 2,000-point scorers in program history. She teamed up with Hillmon during her freshman season after recruiting her from Cleveland, with her work helping Hillmon become the first 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound player in Michigan history and the highest WNBA draft pick in program history. Moore also served as recruiting coordinator, helping Michigan sign multiple top-25 ranked recruiting classes, highlighted by the No. 12-ranked class in 2018.

Moore came to Michigan in 2012 after a five-year stint as an assistant coach at Princeton. The Tigers posted a 95-50 record during her time on the bench. The Tigers also won three conference titles, earning three NCAA Tournament berths.

Moore has also served as an assistant coach at Dayton (2006-07), Indiana State (2004-06) and Siena (2002-04).

Moore graduated from Siena in 1999 with a degree in finance and spent two years following graduation playing professionally in Luxembourg and Israel.

She remains the all-time leading rebounder and ranks second in scoring in Siena's Division I history, with 1,122 rebounds and 2,021 points. She was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999.

In 2001, Moore returned to Siena as an admissions officer before joining the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach for the 2002-03 season. That year, Siena advanced to the second round of the WNIT, and the Saints followed that up in 2003-04 with a second straight MAAC regular-season title.

Moore and her husband, Joe, have two children, Tristin and Ayla.