April 16, 2013



Terms of Employment

VIDEO: Coach McGuff Press Conference

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Gene Smith, Ohio State associate vice president and director of athletics, announced today Kevin McGuff has been named head women’s basketball coach at The Ohio State University.

“We are excited with the opportunity for Kevin to lead our women’s basketball program,” Smith said. “He is a proven leader and has done a marvelous job everywhere he has been. We welcome him back to his home, Ohio.”

“I am extremely excited and humbled to be the next women’s basketball coach at Ohio State,” McGuff said. “This is an amazing opportunity for my family and me to come back to the state of Ohio. I would like to thank Gene, Miechelle Willis and President Gee for putting their faith in me to be their next head coach. As someone who is from the state of Ohio, I know how special of a place this is and my goal is to have Ohio State competing at the highest level of women’s college basketball.”

“Kevin is the perfect fit to lead our women’s basketball program,” Willis said. “Kevin was strongly recommended by many in and around college basketball and after his interview, we knew he was the right choice. He has strong ties to Ohio and the Midwest and we are thrilled to welcome Kevin and his family back to Ohio.”

McGuff recently completed his 11th year as a head coach. The last two were at the University of Washington and the previous nine at Xavier University. He has compiled an overall record of 255-99 and has reached the postseason each year.

The Saint Joseph’s College (Ind.) graduate comes to Columbus after two years at the University of Washington, where he went 41-26 with two berths in the WNIT. In his first season McGuff led the Huskies to a 20-14 finish – its first 20-win season since 2003 – and a trip to the quarterfinals of the WNIT. In the WNIT, Washington went on a memorable run, beating Cal Poly, Utah and Oregon State before falling to San Diego in the quarterfinals. It was the first winning season for UW since 2006-07 and the first postseason appearance since 2009-10. This past season his Huskie squad finished 21-12 with a second round finish in the WNIT.

On the recruiting trail, McGuff landed the program’s first two McDonald’s All-Americans in Katie Collier in 2012 and Kelsey Plum in 2013.

“My goal is to have Ohio State competing at the highest level of women’s college basketball.” –Kevin McGuff

Prior to his stint in Washington, McGuff was the head coach at Xavier for nine seasons. As the head coach of the Musketeers, McGuff compiled a 214-73 record and set a school record for most wins in program history, reaching the postseason in each season he coached. His five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances was also a school record. During that stretch, McGuff’s Xavier teams were consistently the class of the Atlantic-10, sporting a 106-28 record in nine seasons. In his last two seasons, Xavier went undefeated (14-0) in A-10 play.

McGuff led the Musketeers to four A-10 tournament championships, including his final year at Xavier. That season, his team posted a 28-3 record (.903 winning percentage) and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. McGuff made the NCAA tournament six times overall as the Xavier coach. His pinnacle was an Elite Eight appearance in the 2009-10 season, where his team was one missed layup away from the Final Four.

In Cincinnati, McGuff demonstrated he could bring talented student-athletes to the Queen City from across the nation. From 2005-11, McGuff signed players from 12 states, showing he is capable of recruiting in all areas of the country. The class he signed in 2010 was ranked No. 18 in the country.

McGuff took over the Xavier job after a six-year run as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, inheriting a team that had gone 12-19 the year before. McGuff steered the program to a 20-10 record, one of the most significant turnarounds for a head coach at that time. While with the Fighting Irish, McGuff was an assistant to legendary coach Muffet McGraw. He was a staff member on the Notre Dame team that captured the NCAA Championship in 2001. The Irish reached the Sweet Sixteen four times during his tenure in South Bend and the Final Four twice.

Prior to taking the job as an assistant at Notre Dame, McGuff held a similar position with Miami University (Ohio). During his time in Oxford, McGuff was in charge of scouting efforts, internal and external operations of the program, as well as the director of the team’s summer camps.

The 43-year-old McGuff is married to wife, Letitia. The couple has six children: Kilyn, Keiryn, Lukas, Lake, Lily and Leks.

What they are saying about Kevin McGuff:

“I’m excited to hear about Kevin’s hiring. I have watched his progression through the college ranks for a number of years. The Ohio State University got a great coach and person and I’m happy to have him in our Basketball Family.”

Thad Matta

Ohio State men’s basketball coach

“I know Kevin McGuff as a basketball coach perhaps as well as any coach. And I respect him as much as anybody. He has a phenomenal way of connecting with young kids, not only coaching them but also recruiting them. What he did at Xavier was unprecedented. I worked right next to him for five years, and I know Ohio State could not have found a better basketball coach. He’s comprehensive, not only with recruiting but also player-development. Most importantly he has the ability to win, and he covers all bases.”

Sean Miller

University of Arizona head men’s basketball coach

“Kevin is a tremendous coach who has achieved success everywhere he has been. He has a great eye for talent and a terrific understanding of the game. As a native of Ohio, he’s an ideal fit because he’s someone who not only understands the unique traditions of Ohio State, but can carry on and enhance the run of success that has made Ohio State one of the Big Ten’s top programs.”

Muffet McGraw

Notre Dame head coach

McGuff’s Coaching Record