Michigan women’s basketball is coming off perhaps its best season in program history, and as it looks to continue to climb in stature, it’s adding reinforcements.
Sean Bair, who comes to Ann Arbor serving as an assistant coach at Penn State the past two seasons, will be both an assistant coach and general manager at Michigan.
“I am thrilled to join the University of Michigan,” Bair said in a statement. “It is an honor, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Coach Arico and her outstanding staff. Michigan is a special place with championship standards, rich tradition and a clear vision for continued success that I am excited to help advance.
“My family and I cannot wait to experience all that Michigan has to offer and become part of the Ann Arbor community. Go Blue.”
Bair was an assistant at Monmouth for three years and also served as a graduate assistant for Arkansas’ men’s team prior to his time at Penn State.
U-M comes off of a 28-7 campaign in 2025-26 that saw it reach the second Elite Eight in program history before it bowed out to Texas one game short of the national semifinal. There’s reason to believe Michigan can have another successful season next year, returning four starters in Olivia Olson (18.9 points per game), Syla Swords (14.6), Mila Holloway (12.3), Te’Yala Delfosse (8.7).
The Wolverines also added Stanford transfer Courtney Ogden, who averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game last year in Palo Alto.
Per U-M’s release, Bair “helped develop and implement offensive and defensive systems, including player development, practice planning, game preparation and in-game adjustments” for the Nittany Lions and was an integral part of a standout season from, All-Big Ten honoree Gracie Merkle, who led the nation in field goal rate.
Seemingly every bit as important as his coaching is serving as GM, with the program now having a designated point person to connect the pieces between playing and financial opportunities. Other Big Ten programs like USC, Iowa and Washington all have GMs on staff.
“I have gotten to know Sean over the last several years, and his ability to connect with people has always stood out,” coach Kim Barnes Arico said in a statement. “He is a relentless recruiter who really cares about the student-athletes and their development. He can add a tremendous amount to our program in terms of his recruiting ability and player development.
“I think the other important piece in this changing landscape is also being a connector in the world of NIL and working with our variety of partners. He can help us continue to build our brand of Michigan women’s basketball in this current world of college athletics by engaging with our alumni, our donors and with our fans.”
Correction: The original version of this story falsely indicated Bair was the first GM for U-M women’s basketball. Natalie Achonwa was the first, serving in that position last season before departing to be an assistant coach with the Seattle Storm.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan women’s basketball adds new general manager
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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