PHILADELPHIA - Former Saint Joseph's women's basketball great and current associate head coach Susan Moran '02 has been recognized as Ireland's greatest female player ever by the Irish Examiner.
A member of the Irish National Team and multiple time Irish Player of the Year honoree, Moran came to Hawk Hill after a stellar career at Sacred Heart School in which she averaged 26.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in 1997-98.
From 1998-02, she helped the Hawks to two NCAA Tournament appearances, the 1999 Atlantic 10 Championship and was a four-time A-10 All-Conference and Big 5 honoree. An All-American Honorable Mention as a senior, Moran went on to collect A-10 and Big 5 Player of the Year accolades, along with A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-America honors in 2002.
Starting all 122 games over her four seasons, she is the only Hawk in SJU history to lead her team in both scoring and rebounding all four seasons. She capped her career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,340 points. She additionally set the mark for career field goals (855) and free throws (622) and is currently fourth all-time in career rebounds (908).
One of just two women in Saint Joseph's basketball history to have her jersey retired, Moran was inducted into the Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Hall of Fame 2008, into the Philadelphia Big 5 Hall of Fame in 2009, into the SJU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 and was a member of the Atlantic 10's Inaugural Legends Class in 2013.
Following her college career, Moran spent time playing for the WNBA's New York Liberty and professionally in Spain, New Zealand and Australia. In 2005, Moran 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.
Along with her success on the court, Moran has experienced similar results on the sidelines with the Hawks. Capping her 12th year on the SJU coaching staff, and third as associate head coach, Moran has helped the Hawks to eight postseason appearances, including consecutive NCAA Tournament bids in 2013 and 2014, and developed 13 student-athletes into A-10 All-Conference honorees.
Relating to international student-athletes and their experiences, Moran has been instrumental in international recruiting as the number of foreign-born Hawks has more than doubled, from seven to 15, during her tenure. Additionally, several SJU student-athletes starred for their national teams as a trio of Hawks - Mireia Vila, Chatilla van Grinsven and Ilze Gotfrida - all competed at the 2011 U-20 European National Championships with Vila's Spanish squad earning the gold medal.
