Danielle Rauch was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Michigan before concluding her collegiate playing career at Clemson in 2023-24, a season after serving as a graduate assistant for the Tigers. A 5-8 guard from Syracuse, N.Y., Rauch appeared in 23 games last season, totaling 377 minutes of action in her final season of college competition.
Before competing in the ACC, Rauch appeared in 97 games during her time in Ann Arbor which included starting all 32 games at point guard during Michigan’s Elite Eight run in 2022. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and CoSIDA Academic All-District as a senior, Rauch started 40 of the 97 games in which she played. She served as a team captain in the 2021-22 season and was Michigan’s female winner of the Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award.
Rauch graduated from Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in May 2022 and earned a Master’s of Science in athletic leadership from Clemson in May 2024.
Rauch comes from a family with plenty of collegiate athletics experience as both her father Len and her mother Joanne played basketball and volleyball respectively at Le Moyne. Her brother, Jack, played at Florida Southern.
“We are ecstatic to have Danielle Rauch join our Western Carolina Basketball family as an assistant coach," said Tsipis. "I was fortunate to recruit Danielle in high school and watch her flourish as a starting point guard at Michigan in the Big Ten, leading her team to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 her senior year. She has spent the last two years at Clemson, first as a graduate assistant and most recently back on the court for the 2023-24 season. Our student-athletes will learn greatly from her experiences on and off the court.”
