Michigan State WBB head coach Robyn Fralick announces six staff hires
Michigan State's women's basketball made a big move this offseason with bringing in new head coach Robyn Fralick and giving her a salary pool totaling $825,000 for eight staff members. Thursday afternoon just a few weeks after her introductory press conference, Fralick announced six of those hires.
Joining her from Bowling Green will be three coaching staff members and one personnel staff, including associate head coach Kim Cameron, assistant coach Maria Kasza, director of recruiting Joel Whymer and director of basketball operations Monique Rosati.
The familiar face of Dean Lockwood will remain in East Lansing as well as the director of player development, with assistant coach Marwan Miller joining the staff after one season at Minnesota.
Associate Head Coach Kim Cameron
MSU's new associate head coach is familiar with the Great Lakes State as Cameron is an Alpena, Michigan native who played for four seasons at Michigan Tech, graduating in 2005 with a degree in business administration. She spent 13 seasons on staff at Tech, including eight as head coach, where she compiled a 181-53 record that included a national title game appearance.
“I am so excited to continue to work with Coach Cameron. We used to be head coaching rivals back in the day when I was the head coach at Ashland University, and she was the head coach at Michigan Tech,” Fralick said. “I had so much respect for her and the way her teams competed. It has been really fun to work together the past five seasons at Bowling Green and day by day, brick by brick, build together. Her investment in the program and player relationships is incredible. Looking forward to this new journey together.”
Cameron coached all five seasons at BGSU under Fralick. The two competed against one another as coaches in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) as both Ashland and Tech are GLIAC members. Cameron earned conference Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2015 while also being named the 2011 WBCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year when she led her team to the championship game at the Division II level.
Assistant Coach Maria Kasza
Coach Kasza arrives in East Lansing after four seasons on the staff at Bowling Green under Fralick. Prior to her arrival with the Falcons, Kasza spend two seasons at Northern Illinois where she worked on a staff whose Huskies won 34 games, going 19-13 in her second year.
“Coach Maria Kasza adds so much energy and enthusiasm to our program. She is very invested in program and player development,” Fralick added. “She goes above and beyond to make sure student-athletes are supported. I have been fortunate to work with Coach Kasza for the past four seasons and her passion for coaching and basketball is contagious. I am excited for the way she will impact the Michigan State University women’s basketball program.”
Kasza joined NIU after five seasons at Michigan Tech, helping lead MTU to a 107-37 record, including under Kim Cameron. Kasza rose to the college ranks after two years coaching high school basketball, including the 2011-2012 season coaching the freshman girls’ basketball team at Williamston High School and the 2010-2011 season as the varsity assistant coach at her alma mater, Kalkaska High School.
Kasza also coached the Kalkaska Middle School’s seventh grade boys’ basketball team as well. She is a native of Rapid City and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from MTU in 2009 and 2010, respectively and started her coaching career at Northern Michigan.
Assistant Coach Marwan Miller
Miller joins the staff with one season under his belt in the Big Ten already. Miller spent the past season with the Golden Gophers after six seasons in the Mid-American Conference at Ohio University. The Bobcats went 121-64 during his time in Athens, including a 30-win and 26-win seasons and the 2015-2016 MAC regular season conference title.
“Coach Miller is a wonderful addition to our staff. I had the privilege of watching up close as he was an assistant for the Ohio University women’s basketball program, and was integral in their program success,” Fralick said. “His experience will be very valuable, as he was most recently an assistant at Minnesota. Coach Miller is very connected in recruiting and a masterful relationship builder. He is invested in the student-athlete experience and will bring a positive and consistent attitude every day. I am excited for this journey together.”
Before joining the Ohio staff, Miller was an assistant coach at Saint Francis (Pa.) for the 2016-2017 season. He coached grade school teams and club level teams from 2004-2012 as well.
Miller received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin University in 2012, and his associate’s degree from Columbus State Community College.
Director of Player Development Dean Lockwood
Spartan fans need no introduction to Lockwood who has been on the sideline in East Lansing since 2019. He has filled in as acting head coach during the COVID-19 pandemic and again during the 2022-2023 season following a medical episode that led to a single car-crash leading to an extended medical leave of absence for former head coach Suzy Merchant.
“It is an honor to work alongside Coach Lockwood,” Fralick said. “A really cool backstory, is that Coach Lockwood was my husband’s college coach. My husband has always raved about how Coach Lockwood was so instrumental and transformational in his life. He is well respected and well regarded for his wisdom, work ethic and success, having been part of two national championship teams. One of my favorite things about Coach is the way he lights up when he is on the court and surrounded by student-athletes. We are very grateful to learn from Coach Lockwood every day and are excited for his incredible positive impact on the program.”
Lockwood spent 15 seasons with the men's and women's programs at Tennessee before arriving at MSU, including back-to-back national championships in 2007 and 2008. Before Tennessee, Lockwood earned his first full-time coaching job at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he was on staff from 1983-1986 and was a graduate assistant at Central Michigan for the 1982-1983 season.
Lockwood earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Spring Arbor in 1982, majoring in English and secondary education. He earned a master’s degree in counseling and personal and student development from Central Michigan in 1989.
Director of Recruiting Joel Whymer
Whymer spent five seasons as an assistant at BGSU under Fralick, including as program recruiting coordinator in 2019. He joined the Falcons after three seasons on the staff at Wayne State in Detroit, including head coach of the junior varsity team.
“I am thrilled to have Coach Whymer join us at MSU. He is a committed worker, high-level encourager and diligent recruiter. He brings a positive attitude and authenticity into everything he does,” Fralick said. “Coach Whymer is very connected and will work hard on the recruiting trail for the program. We have worked together the past five seasons, and he has been instrumental in program and player development.”
Whymer got his start in college coaching after one season as head coach at St. Clair County Community College where he led his team to a 25-6 overall record that included a share of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference championship. Prior to the college ranks, Whymer spent two seasons as the head boys basketball coach at Marine City High School before heading to St. Clair County Community College, where he was a special education teacher for five years.
Another former GLIAC member, Whymer played three seasons at Grand Valley State. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology with an emphasis on special education from GVSU in 2010 and his master’s degree in coaching education from Ohio, as well as a master’s degree in sport administration from Wayne State in December of 2018.
Director of Basketball Operations Monique Rosati
Rosati arrives in East Lansing after spending the past 16 seasons at Bowling Green. During that tenure, the Falcons won six MAC regular-season titles, two MAC Tournament titles, and made two NCAA appearances.
“Monique Rosati is such an essential part of our staff. She has been the Director of Basketball Operations the past 16 seasons at BGSU,” Fralick added. “Monique is determined, diligent and most importantly, an incredible role-model for our student-athletes. She is whole-heartedly committed to the organization of the program and making sure everybody is on the same page. We have worked together the past five seasons at Bowling Green State and she was instrumental in the program success. I am so excited for her continued impact and leadership within the Michigan State program.”
Rosati worked under former BGSU coaches Cert Miller and Jennifer Roos before being retained by Fralick. She served as the head manager for the women’s basketball team from 1996-2001 at Syracuse where Miller was an assistant coach during the 1994-98 seasons, and later Miller spent 11 years as the Falcons’ head coach where he later hired Rosati.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Rosati graduated from Syracuse in 1997 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and Spanish. She later earned an MBA with an accounting specialization from BGSU. Her husband Clayton is a fellow Orange alumnus and is currently an associate professor in BGSU’s School of Media and Communication.
