The all-time leading scorer in Saint Joseph’s basketball history, Susan Lavin ’02 is in her 23rd year on Hawk Hill, serving as Chief of Staff for her third season. In her position, Lavin assists with on-campus recruiting and development of student-athletes off the court in areas such as career choices, internships, and academic achievement. Prior to her role, Lavin spent four seasons as director of player development and 16 seasons on the Saint Joseph’s coaching staff, including four as associate head coach.
As associate head coach, Lavin worked with the guards after spending five seasons working with the post players and saw multiple players garner individual honors. Under her guidance, 17 Hawks received All-Big 5 honors, 10 earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference distinctions, and four were named to A-10 All-Rookie Team selections. Additionally, 2015 graduate Natasha Cloud was drafted by the Washington Mystics in the second round of the 2015 WNBA Draft.
As a Hawk, the Tullamore, Ireland, native started all 122 games in her career and is the only player in SJU history to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding for four consecutive seasons. An Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press and the WBCA in 2002, Lavin scored 2,340 points and holds seven other school records, including career marks for free throws made and field goals made. She ranked fourth in the nation in scoring (23.3 points per game) as a senior.
Lavin was named the Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year in 2002 and the Rookie of the Year by both in 1999. She was also a finalist for the Senior Class Award during her final year. The epitome of the term “student-athlete,” Lavin was a two-time Academic All-American and was twice the Atlantic 10's Student-Athlete of the Year. Saint Joseph's made two trips to the NCAA Tournament and one to the WNIT during her time on Hawk Hill.
On February 24, 2008, Lavin's accomplishments on the court were recognized by the Hawks as she became just the second woman in Saint Joseph's basketball history to have her jersey (10) retired. Lavin was later inducted into the Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in the spring of 2008, the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame in January of 2009, the SJU Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2010 and was named a member of the inaugural A-10 Legends Class of 2013.
Following her college career, Lavin spent time playing for the WNBA's New York Liberty and professionally in Spain, New Zealand and Australia. In 2005, Lavin earned MVP honors of the Women's National Basketball League in New Zealand after leading the Canterbury Wildcats to the league title. In the summer of 2006, Moran earned MVP honors of the Queensland Australia Basketball League as a member of the Rockhampton Cyclones. She returned to the hardwood as a member of the Irish National Team at the European Qualifiers and was enshrined into the Basketball Ireland's Hall of Fame in the spring of 2019.
An active member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Lavin earned her master’s of business administration from Saint Joseph’s in December of 2007. The daughter of Ethna and Martin Moran, Susan and her husband, Greg, welcomed daughter Aislinn in Spring 2019, son Liam in Summer 2020 and daughter Brenna in October 2023.
