Carl Graves Image
Carl Graves
Head Coach
4th Season
Carl Graves enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Madonna women's basketball team after being named to the post on May 3, 2006.

In his first year at the helm, Graves led the Crusaders to a 15-18 overall mark and fell just one game shy of reaching the NAIA National Tournament after falling to Cornerstone in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament championship. At the end of the season, Graves was honored by his league coaching peers by being named the WHAC Coach of Character after representing the NAIA's five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship within the Champions of Character program.

With his 15 wins in 2006-07, Graves surpassed former MU head coach Marylou Jansen as the winningest first year head coach at Madonna. Graves picked up his 15th win of the season by knocking off 18th-ranked Davenport in the semifinals of the WHAC Tournament.

Since then Graves has led the Crusaders to no fewer than 14 wins in each of his seasons and the squad has appeared in a pair of WHAC title games as well as making an appearance in the WHAC semi-finals last season.

In his three seasons Graves has a career record of 44-52, while going 24-18 in league games over that same period. 

Graves came to Madonna from Airport High School (Carleton, Mich.) where he served as girl's varsity coach for six seasons. In his time at Airport, Graves guided his teams to a 88-39 record, including a school record for wins with 19 in 2005. 

No stranger to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, Graves played collegiately at Concordia University under then head coach Chip Wilde. While with the Cardinals, Graves was named a 1996 NAIA All-American scholar athlete and academic all-conference honoree. 

"We were very excited to bring Coach Graves on board as part of the Madonna Family," stated MU athletic director Bryan Rizzo. "I think his experience, work ethic and personality make him an excellent addition to our staff. I believe he is the right person to continue building on the success of our women's basketball program. The future of Madonna women's basketball is in good hands." 

Graves is also excited about his opportunity. 

"I am very excited at the opportunity that Mr. Rizzo and Madonna University has given me," Graves told players in their first team meeting. "I believe there are a lot of positive attributes to build on, and a lot of things to improve on. I am ready for the challenge." 

In addition to his time at Airport, Graves has also worked several collegiate coaching camps including; Concordia University, Eastern Michigan University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky and Rutgers University. 

His prior collegiate coaching experience was as an assistant under Chip Wilde at Concordia from 1996-98 where he was responsible for post-play, practice planning, game strategies and camp direction. 

Graves' mentor and former coach Wilde, called the appointment, "a great day for Carl Graves and even better day for Madonna University." 

Coach Graves served as a U.S. Marine out of high school and was a jet engine mechanic. Assigned to VMA-231 in Cherry Point, North Carolina, Graves achieved the status of plane captain on the AV-8B Harrier vertical take off aircraft. 

In 1991, his unit was one of the first to arrive in theater for Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, and was the most forward operated air wing unit in the country's history of war.

Graves was selected by his commanding officer to introduce then active Vice President Dan Quayle to the AV-8B only one day prior to the start of Desert Storm. After being named division scholar of the communication and psychology departments in his senior year at Concordia, Graves moderated a ceremony at Concordia College where Quayle was the keynote speaker.

Graves earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1998, and began work as a school social worker, dealing with special education students in the Monroe County Intermediate School District where he is currently employed.

He resides in Belleville, with his wife Karen, a former standout volleyball player at Concordia University, and their twin sons Jeffery and James.
 
2009-10 Women's Basketball Roster
#NameCl.Pos.Ht.HometownPrevious School
3Erin BentleySOG5-4Monroe, MichIda HS
4Heather PrattFRG5-7Flushing, Mich.Flushing HS
5Stacey SzerlagSOG5-6Brighton, Mich.Gabriel Richard HS/Olivet
10Shantelle HerringFRG5-8Macomb, Mich.Dakota HS
14Katie MartinSOG5-2Woodhaven, Mich.Gabriel Richard
15Tabatha WydryckJRF6-1Wyandotte, Mich.Gabriel Richard
21Katie MountJRG5-7Waterford, Mich.Mott/Ferris State
22Kristie PoradaFRG5-9Rockwood, Mich.Gibraltar Carlson
41Kaylee McGrathFRC6-1Livonia, Mich.Stevenson HS
44Heather GoodwinSOF5-8Temperance, Mich.Bedford
50Kim OlechSRF6-0Canton, Mich.Plymouth/Adrian
Christie Carrico - Assistant Coach - 1st season
John Kenger - Assistant Coach - 1st season
Dan Brooks - Assistant Coach - 4th season
Nicole Rogers - Assistant Coach - 1st season
Carl Graves - Head Coach - 4th season
Kelly Jaskot - Assistant Coach - 2nd season