CMU women's basketball hiring Michele Savage to coaching staff
Central Michigan women's basketball head coach Heather Oesterle has made another addition to her coaching staff.
Oesterle has hired Michele Savage, formerly an assistant at Memphis, to her coaching staff. Savage replaces Gail Goestenkors, who left after one season to be an assistant at Kentucky.
"Michele is a great fit for our staff and team," Oesterle said in a written statement. "She brings a ton of experience to our program with many years in coaching."
Savage served as the interim head coach at Memphis for the final five games of the 2020-21 season following the retirement of head coach Melissa McFerrin. The Tigers hired Katrina Merriwether as McFerrin's replacement on March 29.
Before Memphis, Savage was the head coach at Davidson for seven seasons, finishing 96-123, made the Southern Conference Tournament championship game appearances and reached the women's National Invitational Tournament once. She was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year after the 2011-12 season after the Wildcats finished 17-3 in conference play and won the regular season SoCon title.
"She came highly recommended by people that I trust," Oesterle said. "Our team will have some new faces on the court in the 2021-22 season, so I was looking for someone who can teach and bring energy every day. Michele fits that. I'm looking forward to all of our supporters meeting Michele in the near future."
Savage spent nine years as an assistant at Tulane prior to being hired at Davidson. While at Tulane, Savage helped coach the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances. She's also coached at Toledo, Cornell and Chicago State.
As a player, Savage was a three-time All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern. She was also selected to the All-Region team three times and was named an All-American once, in 1991. Savage was elected into the Northwestern Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Illinois Hall of Fame in 2008.
