Emily Hays enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Red Devil women's basketball program. She came to Carlisle from Hiram College where she served as the head women’s basketball coach for three seasons. Prior to taking over the program at Hiram, Hays spent four years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Washington & Jefferson.
Hays quickly returned the Red Devils into a playoff contender, advancing toe the conference semifinals last season after just missing the postseason in 2019. Proving to be a solid recruiter, Hays has put together a balanced roster of young talent and experienced veterans. Kate Deutsch '22 was named the Centennial Conference and D3hoops.com Mid-Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year in 2019.
In her three seasons at Hiram, Hays developed a competitive atmosphere and winning culture. The Terriers set a school record with 17 wins in her final year and hosted the first home playoff game in program history. In addition, they broke the school record for conference wins in both 2015-16 and 2016-17.
Hiram proved to be one of the top defensive teams in the North Coast Athletic Conference, leading the league with 11.2 steals per game in 2016-17. On the offensive end of the floor, the Terriers were the top free throw shooting team, hitting 74 percent from the charity stripe and ranked third in scoring, averaging 62.5 points per game. Hays coached the NCAC Newcomer of the Year in 2014-15 and the program’s first, First-team All-NCAC selection in 2016-17.
While working as an assistant at Washington & Jefferson, Hays helped guide the Presidents to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14. The Presidents posted identical 21-9 records over those two seasons, advancing to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) semifinals both years and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship game in 2014.
She was a four-year letter-winner as a student-athlete, leading the program to four postseason appearances. A three-time All-PAC selection, Hays earned First-team honors as a senior and was named the PAC Player of the Year. During her playing career, W&J posted an overall record of 89-26 and ranked in the top 25 in three of her four seasons. She received a B.A. in accounting from W&J, earning her degree in 2009.
