SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – On Wednesday, Notre Dame College Director of Athletics Scott Swain announced Imani Gordon as the head coach of the women's basketball program. Gordon was an assistant coach on the NDC staff for the previous four seasons.

Lauren Macer, who was the head coach of the program since the 2017-18 season, will be the top assistant coach of the women's basketball program at Purdue Fort Wayne.

"Coach Lo [Macer] and I came in and she was the head coach and I was the assistant coach that first year. We worked and we learned together, we had ups and downs and had growing pains, but at the end of the day, we formed a relationship and built this program up to what it is now. I feel very excited to continue to build that success and take us to the next level."

For her work as an assistant coach, on and off the court, Gordon was an honoree in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Thirty Under 30 program, in 2020 and 2021. This honor recognizes 30 up-and-coming women's basketball coaches age 30 and under at all levels of the game.

"I'm excited for Imani to continue our great success that we have had with Falcon women's basketball," Swain said.

In Gordon's time on the bench with the Falcons, the program put together an overall record of 78-32 and a Mountain East Conference mark of 60-22. The Falcons advanced to the MEC Tournament Championship game, twice. In the 2019-20 campaign, the team broke program records for most wins (24) and most Mountain East Conference victories (18). That season, they were ranked in the WBCA Coaches top 25 poll and qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in program history. The program has also had a player named to an All-America team in back-to-back seasons (Seina Adachi – 2020, Jada Marone - 2021).

"I am excited for Imani to be the next head coach at Notre Dame College," Macer said. "She is constantly learning, works hard and has great relationships with the players. She is ready to lead this program and continue the success that has been developed through the years. She has a passion for women's basketball and for helping the student-athletes grow and develop throughout their college experience. The team is in good hands. There are a lot of players returning, and I believe Imani is going to do a great job preparing them for each game, both in and out of the Mountain East Conference. I wish them the best of luck and I will continue following and watching their success."

Many players from last season's rotation are set to return next year. That includes All-America honoree and First Team All-MEC member Jada Marone and Second Team All-MEC member Marina Adachi.

"I'm excited to work with our group, we've got a lot of girls returning," Gordon said. "I think our girls are very familiar with me; they trust me and they respect me. I'm looking forward to getting to work with the girls and keep building on that success."

Prior to her time at Notre Dame, Gordon spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Cleveland State University, where she was a standout student-athlete. 

As a player, Gordon ranks in CSU's top 10 in scoring, rebounding and free throw attempts. She was the team's MVP, twice, and was part of the winningest senior class in program history. Leading the team to its first WNIT Tournament berth, Gordon was named First Team All-Conference, twice, and Second Team All-Conference, once.

She received a Master of Education, Sports Management and a Bachelor of Science, Psychology/Criminology from Cleveland State.

Macer, who was named MEC Coach of the Year for the 2019-20 season, has been on the Notre Dame College campus since 2009. She played for the Falcons from 2009 until 2013, ending her career with 1,088 points, and still ranks 1st in program history in free throws made in a single season (185) and 6th in points averaged for a single season (18.2). She joined the coaching staff as an assistant in 2013 and took over as head coach in 2017.

"I am sorry to see Lauren leave us. She has been a great coach and a wonderful friend," Swain said. "I know she will be highly successful in her future coaching career."

"I have been part of this Falcons family for the last 12 years," Macer mentioned. "I have evolved from a student-athlete, to assistant coach and to head coach. I am thankful for the opportunity that Scott Swain and the administration gave me to lead this program early into my career. President Pressimone has been nothing but supportive in his first year at NDC. The school has been a great place to attend and work because of the people. The support we felt in the gym on game days from parents, professors, other students and fans made coaching in Keller a fun game day environment, I will miss that. The last four years as the head coach have been a great experience. We've had great teams come through, that were committed and hard working. I am thankful and blessed for the experiences each team has given me."