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NEW YORK -- Megan Griffith is coming home to coach Columbia, the school announced Monday night. Griffith starred for the Lions, scoring more than 1,000 points before graduating in 2007. During her junior year, she ranked 22nd in the nation in assists, averaging 5.5 per game, while scoring 15.2 points. She earned All-Ivy honors twice. She spent the past six years at Princeton, including the last four as an assistant coach, when she helped the Tigers reach the NCAA tournament the past two seasons. "I am honored to return to my alma mater to teach and learn from these special student athletes," Griffith said in a news release. "It is an exciting time for Columbia women's basketball. I cannot wait to get started on our team's journey as we grow together and take the program to a higher level." Griffith succeeds Sheila Roux, who was the interim coach for Columbia this season after Stephanie Glance stepped down in September to take over as executive director of the Kay Yow Fund. "We are excited to welcome Megan back to Columbia as our next head women's basketball coach," athletic director Peter Pilling said. "Megan's experience playing, coaching and recruiting in the Ivy League will help us take the program to new heights. We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Sheila Roux and her staff for all of their hard work this past season." Columbia went 12-17 this past year, including an 11-4 non-conference mark. That was the most non-conference wins in school history. Griffith inherits a young roster with 11 freshmen and sophomores. In Griffith's time with Princeton, the Tigers had at least 20 victories and reached the postseason each year, while securing five Ivy League titles. Princeton was 54-7 the last two years, including going 30-0 in the regular season in 2014-15. "As coaches, we are in the business of growing leaders. We are all so happy for Megan, as she returns to her alma mater to enhance the mission, competitiveness, and integrity of this great league," Princeton coach Courtney Banghart said. "Megan has been a valuable asset to our program in all of its facets and is ready for this next challenge. Her uniform color has changed, but she remains a teammate of ours for life."
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