Central Catholic Names Ericka Haney New Girls’ Basketball Head Coach
Central Catholic High School welcomes 1998 graduate Ericka Haney as its new girls’ basketball head coach. Haney takes over the Lady Irish program that she led to the state tournament semifinals as a player in 1998.
Haney most recently served as Director of Player Development at the Ohio State University. Prior to that, she was director of girls’ basketball for eight years at four high school programs in Florida. She has also been on the coaching staff at Chicago State, served as director of basketball operations at Louisiana Tech, and was the recruiting coordinator at Florida Gulf Coast.
Haney played college basketball under coach Muffet McGraw at the University of Notre Dame, helping the program win its first national championship in 2001. She was drafted by the WNBA’s Detroit Shock in 2002 and briefly played professionally in Sweden later that year.
At Central Catholic, Haney was named First Team All-State twice, and was named Honorable Mention All-American by USA Today and Street & Smith’s. Her 1,353 career points and 1,124 career rebounds are both school records. She also led the Lady Irish volleyball team to its first state tournament appearance and was named an All-American in track. Her 100-meter hurdle time of 13.8 seconds ranked fifth in the nation, and she set school records in the 100, 200, and the 400-meter dashes.
Haney is a member of the Central Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame and is a 2020 inductee into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to return to my Alma Mater!” Haney said. “Attending Central Catholic was a great experience. Athletically, we achieved tremendous success and academically, my teachers and coaches combined to instill in me the discipline and work ethic that prepared me for a successful academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame. I have so many fond memories and relationships with people that I still consider my dearest friends and extended family. Quite simply, Central Catholic is an awesome place and I’m beyond honored to be back here!”
Kevin Parkins, Central Catholic Head of School, said, “We are thrilled to have Ericka Haney returning as coach of our girls’ basketball team. She has had tremendous success as a player and as a coach. We believe that her success, along with her college and professional experiences, give her what it takes to continue the tradition of excellence in our Lady Irish basketball program.”
