Lakeland College

Women's Basketball Coaches

Teri Johnson
Head Coach

Homecoming will be a bit early this year for Teri Johnson.

Lakeland College announced on Wednesday, Apr. 4, that Johnson, a 2000 Lakeland graduate and former basketball and softball standout, has been named the Muskies' new head women's basketball coach.

"This is my dream job," said Johnson, who has served as head women's basketball coach at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., for the past two seasons.

"I respect the people here. I trust the people here. I have a tremendous amount of pride and respect for the program and the institution, and I'm thrilled that I will be the next head coach to carry on that tradition. Just look at the longevity of many of the faculty - that's a tribute to the institution."

Johnson replaces April Arvan, the winningest coach in the program's history, who after guiding Lakeland to five NCAA Tournament appearances and eight conference tournament championships in 13 seasons stepped aside in March to become a full-time faculty member at Lakeland.

"Teri is the perfect fit for this position," said Lakeland athletic director Jane Bouche. "Her passion for basketball coupled with her love of Lakeland really made an impact during the interview process. As we make the transition from April Arvan, there's a certain air of nervousness because of the great success that we have enjoyed. But Teri is clearly the right person to build on what we have accomplished and take us to new levels."

Johnson was a Lakeland basketball standout during her career from 1996-2000, and she still ranks sixth in the record books for career assists with 282. She was a four-year starter, a member of Lakeland's first-ever NCAA Tournament qualifier in 1998-99 (an at-large bid) and a member of three Lake Michigan Conference champions and two LMC Tournament champions from 1998-2000. She was named Lakeland Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Johnson served as a graduate assistant on Lakeland's women's basketball staff from 2000-02 before heading to Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., where she was assistant women's basketball coach and assistant facilities manager for three years. She earned a master of education degree from Lakeland in 2004, and was named head coach at MacMurray in 2005.

During her first season, Johnson led MacMurray to a fourth-place finish in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-8 conference mark, 9-17 overall record. This past season, working with a roster of two seniors and 10 freshmen, the Lady Highlanders were 6-19, 6-12 in conference play.

Ironically, Johnson returned to Lakeland to open this past season as MacMurray was one of the guests in Lakeland's Play With Grace Tip-Off tournament in November. She faced her alma mater and former head coach in the consolation game, a 69-39 Lakeland victory.

"We (Johnson and Arvan) have always kidded each other that we would coach together some day, knowing that it would never happen," Johnson said. "Well, it could happen. I think it would be wise to use her as a coach in some on- or off-court capacity. She has a desire to stick with it, so why not take advantage of that? I grew up under her, I coached under her. We have a lot of similarities, but I am different than her."

Arvan said she's excited at the prospect of Johnson returning, and thrilled to see one of her former students and players returning home.

"When you step aside from something that's been such a big part of your life, you worry about what's going to happen moving forward," Arvan said. "I can't think of a better fit for Lakeland and our women's basketball program than Teri. I said a few weeks ago that the best days of this program are ahead, and with Teri leading our program there can be no doubt."

Arvan still has fond memories of Johnson's playing days.

"T.J. was one of the only players I've ever coached that hated to take a day off," Arvan said. "She just wanted to compete and get better and improve all the time. She also hates to lose more than she likes to win, and I think that's a great quality for a coach to have. It's that certain drive and focus that winning is so very important and losing is even worse."

Johnson clearly understands the big shoes she's filling, and plans on mixing the program's tradition with her own personal touches.

"I will lay out the direction and expectations that I have for the program, and I'll talk with my coaches and my team to get their input," said Johnson, who also taught physical education courses at MacMurray and served as liaison between the athletic and admissions departments.

"The philosophy I have is similar to the philosophy of the current program. When I was a player here it was instilled in us that it was a privilege to be here and be part of a great women's basketball program."

Cathy Hanek
Assistant Coach

Cathy Hanek enters her first season as assistant women's basketball coach on a brand-new coaching staff.

Hanek comes to Lakeland after a successful season as a graduate assistant women's basketball coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania last winter. Hanek was part of a team that finished 24-9 overall, tying for the second highest win-total in school history, and the Crimson Hawks won their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title since 1999. The squad also earned a NCAA Tournament berth, where they advanced to the Sweet 16. Hanek earned her master's degree in adult education and communications technology from IUP in August 2007.

Prior to her stint at IUP, Hanek had a successful basketball career at Youngstown State University (Oh.) from 2001-05 where she was a team captain her junior and senior seasons. She finished her career with 882 points and 153 3-point field goals, which ranks third in school history. Hanek remained at YSU to finish her secondary education degree, joining the women's basketball staff as director of basketball operations for the 2005-06 season.

Hanek is also serving as the head women's golf coach.

Megan Thorburn
Assistant Coach

Megan Thorburn begins her first season as graduate assistant coach for the Muskies.

Megan is no stranger to the competitive hardcourt, as she recently wrapped up a successful four-year career at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Oh. A four-year starter for the Falcons, the Mason, Mich., native was part of a squad that won three Mid-American Conference Championships from 2005-07, making three NCAA Tournament appearances during those seasons and advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2007.

Megan closed out her collegiate career with an impressive 103-25 overall record, and was ranked No. 2 in the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage at .45 her senior year. She also started all 35 contests and averaged 5.6 ppg during her final year, including a season-high 22 points at Buffalo in which she drained six shots from behind the arc, just one short of BG's single-game record.

Her coaching duties for the Muskies include working with the squad's post players and involvement in the recruiting process.

Megan graduated from BG in August with a degree in planned programming with a focus in physical education. She is working on her masters in counseling with a focus on higher education at Lakeland, and has career goals of becoming a college basketball coach.