University of Rhode Island

Colleen Mullen was named as the 10th head coach in Rhode Island women's basketball history on March 29, 2026.

The 2025 America East Coach of the Year, Mullen came to Kingston off a highly successful eight-year run with UAlbany. She led the Great Danes to four consecutive national postseason appearances and four straight 20-win seasons from 2021-25. Over her last five seasons with UAlbany, Mullen had an overall record of 110-50, including a 59-24 record in league play and a 65-11 mark at home.

In 15 seasons as a coach before coming to Rhode Island - eight as the UAlbany head coach and seven on the Army staff - Mullen's teams had a combined record of 291-169. With the Great Danes, Mullen led the team to one America East title and an NCAA Championship appearance, as well as two WNIT bids, and a berth in the WBIT. She had an overall record of 139-102 with UAlbany.

While at Army, Mullen was the associate head coach for seven seasons. In that time, the team won two Patriot League titles, earned two NCAA Championship bids and went to the WNIT twice.

In addition to team success, Mullen has a penchant for player recruitment and development. In eight seasons at UAlbany, she had 17 all-conference selections, six all-rookie team selections, five academic all-conference selections and four all-defensive team honorees.

She coached 2024-25 America East Player of the Year Kayla Cooper, as well as 2022-23 America East Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Helene Haegerstand. Also in 2022-23, Grace Heeps was recognized as the America East Elite-18 Award winner as the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing in the championship of their respective sport. While at Army, Mullen recruited Kelsey Minato, arguably the greatest player in Patriot League history. Minato scored 2,556 points and averaged 20.1 points per game over four seasons.

In each of her last five seasons at UAlbany, Mullen's team was ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense. The Great Danes were 10th in 2025-26; seventh in 2024-25; first in 2023-24; 14th in 2022-23 and second overall in 2021-22.

Mullen was in a rebuild in 2026-27 after graduating her top five scorers from the 2024-25 team that went 26-7. Despite a new-look roster, UAlbany freshman Amaya Stewart was the America East Rookie of the Year, Sixth Player of the Year and a third-team All-Conference selection. Sophomore Delanie Hill also earned third-team all-conference recognition, while sophomore Martina Borrellas was named to the league's all-defensive team.  

Before taking over at UAlbany, Mullen spent eight seasons at Army (2010-18), including the last seven as associate head coach. At Army, Mullen worked primarily with the team's guards. She worked closely with the Patriot League career scoring leader Kelsey Minato from 2012 to 2016 and helped lead the Black Knights to four straight 20-win seasons and four consecutive appearances in national postseason tournaments. The Black Knights reached the NCAA Tournament and earned Patriot League championships in 2016 and 2014, and played in the WNIT in 2015 and 2013.

Mullen helped the Black Knights extend their streak of 20 wins in a single season to five after Army captured 22 wins during the 2016-17 season.

Army completed the best season in team history in 2015-16, reaching a program-record 29 victories as part of a 29-3 overall record to match the Patriot League standard for most wins in a season. The 29 wins also gave the Cadets their fourth consecutive 20-win season to mark the longest streak of that kind in team history.

The Black Knights finished 17-1 in Patriot League play in 2015-16 and entered the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. Army set a number of Patriot League records that season, including widest margin of victory (+19.5), lowest opponent scoring average (50.8), and highest three-point percentage (.410). The Black Knights also rattled of 19 wins in a row during the year to establish new Patriot League and Academy records.

Minato garnered a number of accolades during her outstanding senior season in 2015-16, including espnW Mid-Major Player of the Year, All-Met Division I Player of the Year, and being selected All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Minato earned her third Patriot League Player of the Year nod to join 2003 Bucknell graduate Molly Creamer as the only player in league history to do so, and become the conference’s only player to be a first-team selection all four years.    

The Black Knights drained a program-record 230 three-pointers in 2015-16, while Minato’s 108 marked the most by a single player in team history. 

During the 2014-15 season, Mullen worked primarily with Army’s guards in helping lead the team to its program-record third straight appearance in a national postseason tournament, as the Black Knights reached the WNIT following berths in the NCAA Tournament and the WNIT in 2014 and 2013, respectively. Army finished the season 23-8 to mark its third straight 20-win season, also a program first.

In 2013-14, Mullen helped develop an Army backcourt that led the Black Knights to their second NCAA Tournament appearance as a Division I program.

Army's backcourt shined in 2012-13, as Minato became the first in Patriot League history to be voted Player and Rookie of the Year, while the Black Knights had two first-team All-Patriot League selections for the first time in program history, with both honorees being guards (Minato, Anna Simmers).

The Black Knights' high-scoring perimeter unit helped Army average its highest scoring output since 2007-08 thanks in large part to the second-most accurate three-point shooting contingent in the Patriot League. The Black Knights' success rate beyond the arc was their highest since 2008-09, while their 158 triples were the most Army had made since 2004-05.

The Black Knight ball handlers were the most precise in the conference during Mullen's first season as associate head coach, as Army led the Patriot League in least turnovers per game and ranked as high as ninth in the nation in the category.

During her seven-year coaching tenure prior to Army, Mullen churned out a plethora of decorated guards and secured top-rated recruiting classes. In her two seasons at Long Island, she helped lead the Blackbirds to an appearance in the Northeast Conference finals and helped record the second-highest win total in program history with a 22-10 mark in 2009-10. She mentored two-time first team All-NEC player Ashley Palmer, while point guard Kiara Evans ranked eighth nationally in assists per game (6.4) under Mullen's watch.

Her duties at Long Island also included managing the program's budget, overseeing the assistant coaching staff, coordinating all on and off campus recruitment and serving as the academic coordinator. The Blackbirds successfully improved their overall team grade-point average from a 2.84 in 2010 to a 3.19 in 2011. A proven recruiter, her first recruiting class was ranked 88th nationally by All-Star Girls Basketball Report. 

Prior to her tenure at Long Island, Mullen spent 2007-08 at Lehigh, where she oversaw player development with an emphasis on the backcourt. During her short stint at Lehigh, she guided three of the program's top guards - Erica Prosser, Tricia Smith and Alex Ross - to All-Patriot League selections. All three players went on to garner major Patriot League honors and help Lehigh to back-to-back conference titles. 

In addition to her coaching duties at Lehigh, she also oversaw compliance, marketing, team travel, equipment, academics, alumni relations, community outreach, facilities and game management. 

Mullen spent 2005-07 as the top assistant at Southern New Hampshire after serving as the director of basketball operations at Northern Illinois in 2004-05.

Mullen is no stranger to URI. She began her playing career with the Rams, spending two seasons in Kingston (1998-2000) before transferring to New Hampshire. A two-year captain, she finished her two-year career at UNH with 218 assists, the 14th-highest mark in school history. Mullen was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll in each of her two seasons. 

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire in 2003. She continued her education and graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2006.

Mullen and her wife Lauren have three children: Maggie and twin sons, Brennan and Callan.

updated 3/29/2026