UAlbany Hires Merrimack's Kelly Morrone as New Women's Basketball Coach

Morrone replaces Colleen Mullen, who left for Rhode Island after leading the Great Danes to the NCAA Tournament.

Apr. 4, 2026 at 8:50pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The University at Albany has hired Kelly Morrone, the head coach of the Merrimack Warriors, as its next women's basketball coach. Morrone replaces Colleen Mullen, who departed UAlbany after eight seasons to become the head coach at Rhode Island.

Why it matters

Morrone inherits a UAlbany program that has had recent success, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022 and conference titles in 2023 and 2025. With a young core of returning players, Morrone will look to continue the Great Danes' winning tradition.

The details

Morrone, a Syracuse native, has spent the last six years as the head coach at Merrimack, guiding the program through its transition from Division II to Division I. In her time with the Warriors, Morrone led the team to the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament in each of the last two seasons. This past year, Merrimack posted its first winning season under Morrone, going 19-13 overall and 15-5 in the MAAC.

  • Mullen was named the head coach at Rhode Island on March 29, 2026.
  • Morrone has been the head coach at Merrimack since 2020.

The players

Kelly Morrone

The new head coach of the University at Albany women's basketball team, who previously served as the head coach at Merrimack for the past six seasons.

Colleen Mullen

The former head coach of the University at Albany women's basketball team, who recently departed to become the head coach at Rhode Island.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“While at Merrimack, Morrone's Warriors teams played against UAlbany on four occasions. She led Merrimack on a 65-52 win over the Great Danes on Nov. 16, 2021 in North Andover, Mass. in a season where UAlbany went on to reach the NCAA Tournament.”

— Adam Shinder, Author

What’s next

Morrone will look to build on the recent success of the UAlbany women's basketball program and lead the team to another America East title and NCAA Tournament appearance.

The takeaway

The hiring of Kelly Morrone as the new UAlbany women's basketball coach represents a changing of the guard, as she takes over a program that has enjoyed significant success under Colleen Mullen's leadership. Morrone's experience guiding Merrimack through its Division I transition will be valuable as she looks to maintain the Great Danes' status as one of the top teams in the America East Conference.