Academy of Notre Dame announces new basketball head coach

Villanova >> The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur has announced the appointment of Lauren Thomer as head coach of the school’s basketball program.

“I am delighted to bring to our basketball program such a talented coach with a wealth of experience from prestigious institutions and look forward to the future of the program with Coach Thomer at the helm,” said Ben Davey, Notre Dame’s Athletic Director.

Thomer brings extensive Division I and Division III experience to Notre Dame with years of coaching high school and college basketball. She has guided her teams to seven winning seasons and four conference championships. She is a Philadelphia native and former Division I point guard at Rider University. Thomer also holds a Master of Education from the University of Virginia.

While coaching at The United States Military Academy (West Point), Thomer was instrumental in helping Army develop one of the most successful senior classes in the basketball program’s history. Her teams averaged 19 wins per season and she coached three players who earned All-Patriot League Honors, including a two-time Scholar Athlete of the Year.

As women’s basketball head coach at Manhattanville College, New York, Thomer led the Division III program to back-to-back regular season Freedom Conference championships for the first time in school history and received the Freedom Conference Coach of the Year honors.

More recently, while at Yale University, Thomer mentored four players garnering All-Ivy League Honors, three 1,000 point scorers, and four international players.

Thomer comes to Notre Dame from her position as Director of Athletics at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, an independent, all girls’ Catholic school in New York City, where she also coached a skill development basketball program.  

“I am truly honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead and serve the girls’ basketball program at Notre Dame,” said Thomer. “I am looking forward to getting to know the student-athletes and their families and building on the legacy and rich tradition of this storied program.”