Andre Gibbs will take over Haverford College's women's basketball program on August 3, bringing Division I recruiting experience to a Fords squad that missed the 2025-26 Centennial Conference tournament.

Director of Athletics Christa Racine announced the hire on Wednesday, calling Gibbs the right fit after a search that emphasized recruiting ability and relationship-building.

The hire fills the vacancy left by Grace Elliott, who stepped down effective June 30 to pursue opportunities outside collegiate athletics, according to a May 11 announcement from the college.

"What stayed with me most was the way he talked about his players," Racine said. "It is clear that he cares just as much about who they become as people as he does about how they perform as athletes."

Gibbs spent the past three seasons on the University of Pennsylvania women's basketball staff. He joined the Quakers as an assistant coach in August 2023 and was promoted to assistant recruiting coordinator ahead of the 2025-26 season. Penn went 17-10 that year. The Quakers qualified for the Ivy League Tournament in each of his first two seasons, advancing to semifinal matchups against Princeton and Columbia.

At Penn, Gibbs played a key role in developing sophomore forward Katie Collins, who earned second-team All-Ivy and first-team All-Big 5 honors, and junior guard Mataya Gayle, who surpassed 1,000 career points and received honorable mention All-Ivy recognition. Gayle and Collins were named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in consecutive seasons during Gibbs' tenure.

Gibbs inherits a program with three Centennial Conference championships (2014, 2019, 2020) and four NCAA Tournament berths, including second-round appearances in 2014 and 2019.

Before Penn, Gibbs spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Utah State. He previously served two seasons at Queens University of Charlotte and began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Bryn Mawr College, making his move to Haverford a return to the Bi-College community.

Gibbs played at Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University) under Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Herb Magee, finishing with 1,400 points and 350 assists. He was named a Freshman All-American and CACC Rookie of the Year in 2012-13.

The Fords' 2026-27 schedule has not yet been released.