Kirk Carolan was announced as the new head coach of Macomb Community College women’s basketball on Sept. 26th, 2024, propelling the three-year assistant to the lead role following the resignation of the program’s all-time winningest coach, Jay Ritchie.
In two seasons as head coach, Carolan has posted a 36-23 overall record, including a 17-11 mark in MCCAA Eastern Conference play.
He led the Monarchs to a 20-10 mark in 2025-26, including a 9-5 record in conference play. Macomb reached the Great Lakes District A Tournament before falling to Jackson College. Carolan coached A'Liyah Forris to All-Region, All-MCCAA, and First Team All-Eastern Conference honors. He also coached Asiyah Jihad to Second Team All-Eastern Conference honors and Janiya McWilliams to Third Team All-Eastern Conference. Mykenzi Harris and Hannah Tamou earned Honorable Mention All-Eastern Conference while Harris was also named to the Eastern Conference All-Defensive Team.
Carolan's first season as head coach saw Macomb go 16-13 overall and 8-6 in league action. The Monarchs qualified for the Great Lakes District A Tournament and saw their season come to an end against No. 22 St. Clair County Community College. The women's basketball program also earned NJCAA Academic Team of the Year status after posting a 3.19 GPA during the school year. As for award winners, Asiyah Jihad was named All-Region, All-MCCAA, First Team All-Eastern Conference, and Eastern Conference All-Freshman. A'Liyah Forris joined Jihad on the Eastern Conference All-Freshman team while also earning Second Team All-Eastern Conference honors. Sydney Garon was named Third Team All-Eastern Conference while Janiya McWilliams and Vanessa Galovich earned Honorable Mention All-Eastern Conference.
The announcement was made official by Director of Athletics, Bryan Rizzo.
“Coach Carolan has worked as an assistant coach with us over the past three seasons and brings years of head coaching experience as well,” said Rizzo. “He is committed to the student-athlete and Macomb. I look forward to working with him to continue the strong tradition of Macomb basketball.”
With the announcement, Carolan became the 13th head coach in program history.
“I’m humbled and honored to be named the new head coach of the Macomb women’s basketball program,” relayed Carolan after learning of his selection. “I’d like to thank Director of Athletics, Bryan Rizzo, and Athletic Coordinator, Tim Johnston, for having the confidence and belief in my ability to lead the program moving forward. We have a great group of student-athletes and coaches in place and I’m excited to continue our work as the season approaches.”
Since joining the staff at Macomb, Carolan has been a part of three straight winning seasons, including consecutive 17-10 campaigns in 2022-23 and 2023-24, and has helped lead the Monarchs to three consecutive postseason berths. In addition to the team success, Carolan has coached numerous All-Conference performers, including 2023-24 MCCAA Eastern Conference Player of the Year and Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Tamia Tounsel.
Prior to Macomb, Carolan was the head girls’ basketball coach at Berkley High School from 2017-2021. Under his guidance, Berkley won two Oakland Activities Association (OAA) Blue Championships and appeared in the MHSAA District Finals in 2021. Carolan also coached an All-State performer and several All-OAA selections.
Carolan has been an avid teacher of the game for many years and has been a member of the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) since 2016.
Carolan and the Monarchs will get the 2024-25 season underway November 1 in Plymouth, Ind., at the Marian University Ancilla Tournament. The team’s full 2024-25 schedule will be released next week.
