CHICAGO - Morgan Paige, former associate head coach at Kansas, has been named head coach of Loyola University Chicago women's basketball, Director of Athletics Steve Watson announced Sunday afternoon.
Paige becomes the 12th head coach in program history following a five-year stint with the Jayhawks. During her tenure, Kansas posted a winning record in each season and earned postseason appearances in four of her five years, most recently advancing to the semifinals of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). Across those five seasons, KU racked up an impressive 104 wins.
Rambler supporters and media are invited to attend a "meet the coach" event Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m. inside the Alfie Norville Practice Facility, where Paige will address attendees.
"This is an exciting day for Loyola University Chicago as Morgan Paige begins her tenure as the head coach of our women's basketball program," Watson said. "Morgan is a proven leader with a championship mindset and a strong commitment to student-athlete development. We are confident she will build on our recent successes and elevate Loyola women's basketball to new heights."
"It is a dream turned reality to be named head coach at Loyola University Chicago," Paige said. "I want to thank Steve Watson and Holly Strauss-O'Brien for their investment in and belief in me to lead the Ramblers into a new era of college athletics. 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."
In her first season at Kansas, Paige helped guide the Jayhawks to a breakthrough 2021-22 campaign. Kansas finished 21-10, securing its first 20-win season since 2012-13, and earned an NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional. The Jayhawks defeated Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the first round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford.
Kansas built on that success in 2022-23, posting a 25-11 record and capturing the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) championship — the program's first 25-win season since 1996-97. Three players earned All-Big 12 honors, including first-team selections Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin. Jackson became the first Kansas player since 1982 to average a double-double for an entire season.
In 2023-24, Kansas went 20-13 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Michigan, 81-72. The Jayhawks recorded three wins over Top 25 opponents and two over Top 10 teams — both program firsts since 1999-2000 — and notched their first victory over a Top 5 opponent since 2009 with an 87-66 win against then-No. 4 Baylor.
Jackson earned WBCA All-America honorable mention for the second consecutive season before being selected in the second round of the WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun.
During the 2024-25 season, Kansas posted a 15-game winning streak that spanned much of the calendar year and claimed the Paradise Jam Island Division championship.
This past season, Kansas earned WBIT victories over Troy, Rice and San Diego State before falling to top-seeded BYU in the semifinals. The Jayhawks closed with 22 wins, reaching the 20-win mark for the fourth time during Paige's tenure.
Prior to Kansas, Paige served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Dakota State from 2016-17 through 2020-21. She played a key role in the program's turnaround, helping the Bison improve from six wins in her first season to 15 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign — the program's first winning season in more than a decade. North Dakota State also recorded its highest Division I conference finish at the time, placing third in the Summit League.
Paige helped mentor four student-athletes to Summit League honors, including a second-team all-conference selection, Newcomer of the Year, an honorable mention pick and an all-newcomer team selection.
She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa State, where she contributed to video operations, community relations, player development and recruiting.
A four-year starter at Wisconsin, Paige earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2013. She surpassed 1,000 career points as a senior, finishing with 1,230 and ranking among the program's top all-time scorers.
Paige earned a bachelor's degree in life sciences communication from Wisconsin in 2014 and a master's degree in leadership in physical education and sport from North Dakota State in 2021.
She also played professionally in Romania with CSM Craiova and was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Her mother, Sherryl, was her high school coach, while her father, Ellis, helped develop her and her brother, Marcus, who played at North Carolina and was selected in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft before becoming a coach as well.
