HAMILTON — Danielle Roe saw it as an opportunity to be able to create more for women’s basketball. She will get to do exactly that for Miami University Hamilton.
Roe was recently named the new head coach at Miami-Hamilton.
“When I saw that job open, my first thought was, ‘Wow, I remember when I played against them, but I also remember when I coached against them,’” Roe said. “I’ve always had a passion for the underdog kid.
“Coming from a junior college background, and not only playing and doing some coaching at the junior college level on top of high school, I’ve always had a passion to see small colleges be successful.”
Roe takes over for Ross Tonyan, who stepped away to take care of family after leading the Harriers for the last seven seasons. Miami-Hamilton is 51-51 since it started competing in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association four years ago.
The Harriers went 19-11 during the 2024-25 season.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have Coach Roe come aboard,” MUH athletic director Chris Settle said. “Her wealth of experience, knowledge and contacts in the women’s college basketball world will no doubt continue and hopefully even exceed the tremendous success we’ve experienced over the last few years.”
Roe, who joins Miami-Hamilton with over a decade of coaching experience, had a standout playing career at the high school, junior college and NCAA D-II levels.
She began her head coaching journey in 2016 at Harvest Prep, revitalizing the program before joining Sinclair College (NJCAA) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Roe helped lead Sinclair to a historic 28-6 season and an NJCAA D-II Elite 8 appearance. She later guided Springfield Catholic Central to a league title and 25 wins over two seasons.
Roe also served for five years as program director for a grassroots youth basketball organization that helps girls across Ohio grow as athletes and leaders.
“Times have changed since I played back in 2006 to 2008 at Sinclair College, and we had Miami-Hamilton on our schedule every year,” Roe said. “But for me, seeing the landscape of women’s basketball — not just college, but high school — I felt pulled to jump in at that level because there are so many, I believe, high school kids period that still have that hunger for an opportunity.
“Maybe the portal has deterred some of them in some different directions, and I really get excited about the opportunity to be able to create more opportunities for our incoming freshmen as high school students,” Roe added. “I really want to just jump back in and pour into some of these high school kids and create opportunities for them on top of always actively recruiting.”
A Springfield South alum and 1,000-point scorer in both high school and college, Roe is one of the few to win conference titles at Sinclair as both a player and coach. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Kentucky Wesleyan College and has spent 12 years as an entrepreneur in sales, marketing and real estate.
Roe has been an advocate for ACL reduction and maximizing peak performance, having experienced such an injury during her playing days.
Danielle resides in Springfield, OH, and is the owner of Coach Roe Consulting LLC, where she helps others create championship experiences in life and leadership through sports and business.
“I felt at peace when Chris Settle said to me, ‘You’re a breath of fresh air,’” Roe said. “Hearing that from someone who’s been in that position for as long as he has was a sigh of relief. Because as a coach, you always want to be a part of something where you have that leadership, that pillar leadership.
“That’s something that quickly stood out to me. I was excited when he shared the opportunity, and when he called and offered me the job. I got excited to see the rich culture here at Miami-Hamilton. I knew I would love to be a part of something like that.”
