Mike Donovan enters his second season as an assistant coach for the UIC Women's Basketball team for the 2023-24 season. Donovan has a great history with UIC head coach Ashleen Bracey, dating back to their own college days at Illinois State University.
Donovan played a role in the Flames 19-win season in 2022-23. The team tied for the second-most wins in school history, earning just its third postseason bid.
Donovan arrives at UIC following a stint at Lindenwood University as an assistant coach during the 2021-22 campaign. He helped to mentor NCAA Division II All-American and Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year Julia Ruzevich and All-GLVC Team honoree Ellen McCorkle. Donovan frequently delivered the team’s defensive game plan for a group that allowed only 68.5 points per game to the opposition and racked 4.2 blocks and 26.3 defensive rebounds per game last season.
Prior to his time at Lindenwood, Donovan was on staff at Missouri, where he worked closely with Bracey for five seasons. Donovan was the women’s basketball video coordinator from 2013-21, when he managed all facets of Mizzou’s film including opponent scouting videos, practice and game film breakdown, and individual film for player development. He also gained experience with on-campus recruiting efforts for the Tigers.
Donovan also served as an assistant coach at Eureka College during the 2011-12 season. The Red Devils went 21-5 during Donovan’s season on the bench, a 13-game improvement from the previous campaign.
A 2011 graduate from Illinois State University, Donovan obtained a Bachelor of Arts in physical education. He also prepared the women’s basketball team by serving as a practice player from 2008-11. During his three seasons with the program, the Redbirds reached the semifinal round of the WNIT three times.
Donovan earned a Master of Education with an emphasis in Positive Coaching from Mizzou in 2015.
