Mt. Juliet native Gardner steps down at Mercer
Mar. 13—MACON, Ga. — Mt. Juliet native Susie Gardner has resigned as head women's basketball coach of Mercer University after 14 years leading the Bears.
The Mt. Juliet High (Class of 1982) graduate guided the Bears to a 247-189 record which included nine Southern Conference championships and seven postseason appearances, including three NCAA tournament berths. She is the school's alltime wins leader — men or women.
"I have loved my time here as the Head WBB Coach at Mercer and I was very proud of the history that we have made," Gardner wrote on her Facebook page. "The landscape in the coaching world is changing and I have decided to pursue new challenges and opportunities. I am excited to see the direction God has for my life."
"Mercer will be forever indebted to Susie Gardner for the incredible impact that she had on our student-athletes, both on and off of the court, over the course of her 14-year career here in Macon," said Mercer athletics director Jim Cole. "She has made significant contributions to the sport of women's basketball, and we could not be more proud of all of her accomplishments.
"I have learned so much from Susie. Her attention to detail, her work ethic and her desire to win are second to none. I am going to truly miss the day-to-day intensity that she brought with her to work."
Gardner's teams amassed 20-plus wins six times under her leadership, including a run of five-straight seasons with 20 or more wins from 2014-19. Mercer compiled a 30-3 record in 2017-18 on the way to claiming both the SoCon regular season and tournament titles. That squad put together a school record 27-game win streak before falling to then-No. 4 Georgia, 68-63, in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. She is a four-time SoCon Coach of the Year.
"Coach Gardner embodies what it means to be a Mercer Bear and she is a true leader both on and off of the court," said Chief Operating Officer and Senior Woman Administrator Sybil Blalock. "I have been extremely fortunate to work alongside her for the last 14 years. She's a great coach, but an even better person who makes everybody around her better.
"The success that she has had in leading our women's basketball team to national prominence, as well as her team's accomplishments in the classroom and in the Macon community, will be sorely missed. I wish her nothing but the best in whatever she chooses for the next chapter of her career."
Prior to coming to Mercer in 2010, Gardner coached Arkansas to 64 wins over four seasons. She began her head coaching career at Austin Peay in 1996, leading the Lady Governors to 112 wins and a pair of NCAA postseason berths in seven seasons.
She played for legendary coach Andy Landers at Georgia from 1982-86 and broke into coaching on his staff as a graduate assistant. She also served on the staffs at San Diego State and Florida. She was on the Florida staff under fellow Mt. Juliet High-grad Amanda Butler, who had served on Gardner's Austin Peay staff.
Playing for Tommy Martin at Mt. Juliet, she was an early star of the 5-on-5 era of high school basketball with the Bearettes, who reached the 1981 state finals and '82 semifinals.
