ALMA – Keisha Brown, a former star student-athlete at Tulane University who has coached the Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart Academy boys’ basketball team to a 79 percent winning percentage over the past six years, has been named the head women’s basketball coach at Alma College, announced Athletic Director John Leister on Wednesday.

Brown succeeds long-time coach Charlie Goffnett, who retired earlier this spring.

“We are very excited to be able to announce the hiring of Keisha Brown as our new women’s basketball coach,” said Leister. “She directed a successful boys’ basketball program at Sacred Heart Academy that is highly respected and regarded as one of the best in the state of Michigan. Keisha brings energy, humility and a commitment to excellence, both on the court and in the classroom to our campus, and we are happy to have her.”

During her tenure at Sacred Heart Academy, the school compiled a record of 114-30 (79%), and her 2006 squad was the Class D state runner-up.

In addition, her teams won five consecutive league championships, four district titles and three regional titles. She first joined the school in 2001. Brown was responsible for the overall management of the boys’ basketball program.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Alma College community as women’s basketball coach,” says Brown. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with student-athletes at a great school that is looking forward to a new facility. I come from a school that has a lot of athletic tradition, and I hope to carry over what I have learned at Sacred Heart to continue the traditions and success that Alma College has experienced in women’s basketball over the years. I’m very excited to be coaching at Alma College.”

Brown’s first coaching position was from 1997-2000 with the Southern Belles Basketball Club in New Orleans, La., coaching the squad to the 2000 Louisiana State Championship.

She became junior varsity coach for the Sacred Heart Academy’s girls program in 2001, while also coaching the AAU Central Basketball Club in Mt. Pleasant. In 2002-03, she coached the junior varsity boys at Sacred Heart before becoming head coach in 2003. Brown also has been athletic director and a counselor for Sacred Heart since 2006.

In college, Brown played at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she was a four-year all-conference player. She was inducted into the Tulane Athletic Hall of Fame and is the only player in school history to score over 1,000 career points and record over 1,000 career rebounds. Brown is also the all-time school leader in total rebounds and rebound average.

She played professionally for Tamperen-Pyrinto in Finland from 1994-1996 and averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds during her career.

Brown also was named as the league’s Most Valuable Player during her time in Finland.