Danielle O’Banion was named the 12th head women’s basketball coach at Loyola University Maryland in April, 2021.

O’Banion brings 20 years of Division I coaching experience to the Greyhounds, most-recently serving her second stint as an assistant at the University of Minnesota over the past three seasons. Her teams have combined for 10 postseason appearances, including five NCAA tournaments and one run to the Final Four.

Originally from Arlington, Virginia, O’Banion returns to the Mid-Atlantic after coaching stints at Minnesota, Memphis, Kent State and Harvard. A standout recruiter who has brought in four Top-50 classes during her career, she has also held multiple leadership positions within both the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Advocates for Athletic Equity (formerly Black Coaches and Administrators).

A 20-year member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association, O’Banion served on the WBCA Board of Directors from 2013-15 and was an Awards Committee member from 2011-12. She was also the second woman to be named president of Black Coaches and Administrators, serving in that role in 2011-12 following four years on the BCA Board of Directors.

As an undergraduate, O’Banion was a four-year letterwinner at Boston College from 1997-2001. She helped guide the Eagles to their first two NCAA tournament appearances in program history, and she was a co-captain and Big East Academic All-Star during her senior season. She graduated from Boston College in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Hispanic Studies minor.

O’Banion grew up in Northern Virginia, and she prepped at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia where she was a Washington Post All-Met guard for the Maroon.