Kevin Griffin , Head Coach (Fourth Season, EMU '93)

Kevin J. Griffin took over as head coach of the women’s basketball program at Eastern Mennonite University and in just his second season was named the 2006-07 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Royals to a 17-8 overall mark and a 15-5 record in the ODAC and a birth in the conference tournament. Griffin has guided EMU to the quarterfinal round of the ODAC Tournament the past three seasons after his 2007-08 squad finished with a 19-7 overall record (third highest win total in school history) and a 15-5 conference mark.

“I am excited about being back on campus as a graduate of EMU and am excited to coach the women’s basketball program,” Griffin commented on his appointment prior to the 05-06 season. “EMU is a very attractive position as a former player and I have a lot of friends still in the area. But the bottom line is, my wife and I believe that this is where God is leading us.”

Griffin, a 1993 graduate of EMU, returned to his alma mater after 12 years of coaching experience at various levels. Most recently prior to EMU, he had been at Delsea High School in Franklinville, N.J. where he served as assistant boys’ basketball coach during the 2003-04 season. He stepped up to head coach for the 2004-05 season.

Griffin played his senior season under new coach Tom Baker. He started 24 games as a point guard and led the team with 4.3 assists per game. Griffin received his degree in Health and Physical Education with a minor in coaching.

Following EMU, Griffin spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Chesapeake Junior College in Wye Mills, Md. During the summer of 1994, he played for the Athletes in Action Summer Tour to the Philippines with head coach Morris Milhousky of Bryan College where he helped the team to a 13-2 record. He also coached boys’ basketball at Easton Middle School from 1993-95 where he taught health and physical education.

In 1995, Griffin moved to Lancaster, Pa. where he spent two seasons as assistant boys’ basketball coach at Lancaster Mennonite High School. He also taught health, physical education, and math while also serving as athletic director at New Danville Mennonite School.

After his stop in Lancaster, Griffin took a teaching position in health and physical education at Main Road School in Newfield, N.J. At the same time, Griffin coached in Chester, Pa. at The Christian Academy, where he was an assistant for three years. During that three-year span the team posted a record of 80-6. He was then named the head coach for two years.

Throughout his coaching career, Griffin has directed and assisted at numerous co-ed high school basketball camps and clinics throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. He has also worked several collegiate camps, including Virginia Military Institute, St. Joseph’s University, Messiah College, Robert Morris University, and Eastern Mennonite University. He also attended the Roy Williams Coaching Clinic in 2004 at the University of North Carolina.

“I hope to continue some of the recent success of the program,” Griffin said. “I’m following two very successful coaches who have done a good job with the program. Hopefully we can keep things going with the current players, and I can use some of my people skills and my contacts to keep recruiting quality players and continue to build the program.”

Griffin resides in Broadway, Va., with his wife Ruth and their daughter Jasmine.

Jennifer Thompson, Assistant Coach (Fifth Season, James Madison)

The 2008-09 season will be the fourth for Jennifer Thompson with the EMU women's basketball program. She helped guide the 2007-08 squad to a 17-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in the ODAC.

Thompson played four years of basketball at James Madison University, where she helped the Dukes to three appearances in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. She graduated from JMU with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with an endorsement in health and driver education.

Since graduating from JMU, Thompson has been teaching health, physical education, and driver education at Harrisonburg High School for 17 years. She coached junior varsity girls' basketball for three years, assisted the varsity basketball team for four years, coached volleyball for seven years, and guided girls' tennis for three seasons.

"I enjoy working with young people and teaching them not only basketball but how being part of a team can help them in other areas of their lives," Thompson said of her role as a coach. "I would hope that they see basketball as an opportunity to improve themselves, their skills, and to work with others who share the love of the game."

Thompson lives in Harrisonburg with her husband Grant and children Garrett and Kendall.

Eric Payne, Assistant Coach (Sixth Season, James Madison)

Eric Payne enters his sixth year as an assistant women’s basketball coach at his alma mater. Payne, who played basketball at EMU during the 1987-88 season, helped coach the Lady Royals to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen during his first year as an assistant in 2004.

Payne has coached in the Augusta County Women’s Recreational League and is employed by Holtzman Oil Corporation and also teaches Aikido at EMU. Working at EMU as a coach has allowed Payne to help players “reach their goals on the basketball court.”

Payne currently lives in Harrisonburg and has two sons, Isaiah and Justus.