Morgan Paige Named Head Coach of Women’s Basketball

Loyola women’s basketball announced Morgan Paige as their new head coach April 12. Paige will be the 12th head coach in program history. Paige was the former associate head coach at the University of Kansas for five seasons, boasting winning records every year and postseason appearances in four of her five years in Lawrence, Kansas. 

Director of Athletics Steve Watson announced Paige as head coach in a release from Loyola Athletics. 

“[Paige] is a proven leader with a championship mindset and a strong commitment to student-athlete development,” Watson said. “We are confident she will build on our recent successes and elevate Loyola women’s basketball to new heights.”

In Paige’s first season at Kansas, the Jayhawks finished 21-10, securing their first 20-win season since the 2012-13 season. The team earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional.

Paige’s second season saw a 25-11 record, helping lead the Jayhawks to win the Women’s National Invitational Tournament championship. 

In her third season, Kansas ran a 20-13 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Center Taiyanna Jackson earned All-American honorable mention for the second season in a row and was selected in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun. 

Kansas touted a 15-game winning streak and claimed the Paradise Jam Island Division championship in Paige’s fourth season. In her most recent season, the Jayhawks made it to the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament and recorded 22 wins. 

Prior to coaching at Kansas, Paige served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Dakota State University from 2016 to 2021. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa State University, helping with video operations, community relations, player development and recruiting. 

Paige played Division I basketball as a four-year starter at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she made third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2013 and finished her collegiate career with 1,230 points, 18th in their program’s history. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree in life sciences communication in 2014 and her master’s degree in leadership in physical education and sport from North Dakota in 2021. 

Paige played professionally in Romania with CSM Craiova and was inducted into the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. 

After thanking Watson and Deputy Athletic Director Holly Strauss-O’Brien, Paige set up her ideals for her first season at Loyola. 

“It is a dream turned reality to be named head coach at Loyola,” Paige said. “We aspire to take the next step in establishing Loyola Chicago as a consistent competitor in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while remaining committed to developing high-character young women who make an impact in their community.”

Paige will meet with Loyola fans and media in a “meet the coach” event April 17 at 1 p.m. at the Alfie Norville Practice Facility.