2023-24 Samford Womens Basketball by Samford University

2022-23 BASKETBALL

masyn marchbanks sophomore | guard

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2022-23 BASKETBALL

Women’s Basketball 2023-2024 Schedule

Nov. 6 Nov. 11 Nov. 14 Nov. 18 Nov. 24 Nov. 25 Nov. 30 Dec. 3 Dec. 10 Dec. 13 Dec. 16 Dec. 19 Dec. 29 Dec. 31 Jan. 5 Jan. 11 Jan. 13 Jan. 18 Jan. 20 Jan. 25 Jan. 27 Feb. 3 Feb. 8 Feb. 10 Feb. 15 Feb. 17 Feb. 22 Feb. 24 Mar. 2 Mar. 7-10

Auburn University at Montgomery Central Arkansas at Troy Alabama State vs. North Texas# at Southern Miss# USC Upstate Jacksonville State at Alabama LaGrange vs. Arkansas% North Alabama at Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky Cumberland at ETSU* at Chattanooga* Western Carolina* UNCG* at Furman* at Wofford* Mercer* Chattanooga* ETSU* at UNCG* at Western Carolina* Wofford* Furman* at Mercer* SoCon Tournament!

11 a.m. 2 p.m. 5:15 p.m. 5 p.m. 1 p.m. 11 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 1 p.m. 12 p.m. TBD 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 2 p.m. TBD

*-Southern Conference Game #-Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic (Hattiesburg, Miss.) %-In Little Rock, Ark. !-Asheville, N.C.

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Beck A. Taylor President

Dr. Beck A. Taylor began his tenure as the 19th president of Samford University in July 2021. Taylor, who served as dean and professor of economics for Samford’s Brock School of Business from 2005-2010, returned to Samford after serving as the 18th president of Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, from 2010-2021. After earning his undergraduate degree from Baylor with majors in economics and finance, Taylor was employed as an analyst for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Houston, Texas. He went on to earn his M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Baylor as associate dean for research and faculty development for the Hankamer School of Business, and was named the first holder of the W.H. Smith Professorship in Economics. In 2002, he was appointed as a visiting scholar by Harvard University where he spent one year in residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As dean of Samford’s Brock School of Business, Taylor led the rapid transformation of the business school, including its renaming to honor Harry B. Brock, Jr., founder of Compass Bank. Taylor led the Brock School of Business to establish eight new academic programs, as well as the school’s new honors program. The school’s 4

entrepreneurship program was recognized in 2010 as the nation’s top emerging program by the U.S. Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship. In an effort to build bridges between students and the Birmingham business community, Taylor established the Samford Business Network, as well as a 45-member advisory board of the region’s top business leaders. As a scholar, Taylor has published dozens of studies in economics journals such as Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Human Resources and Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking. Illustrating his diverse research interests and his connections to the social sciences, Taylor has also published groundbreaking research in public health and child developmental psychology. His research has been cited in testimony given before the U.S. Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, and the California State Assembly, and also has been referenced in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Christian Science Monitor. Taylor is a member of numerous professional and academic organizations, and he has served as a strategic business consultant for dozens of organizations. He and his wife, Julie, have three children.

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Martin Newton, Director of Athletics Samford University alumnus and director of athletics Martin Newton has transformed the Bulldogs into one of the Southern Conference’s most successful programs since taking the helm of the department on March 9, 2011. Last year, Newton recently signed a five-year contract extension that began on July 1, 2022. Newton has made an impact nationally in his time at Samford as he will begin a five-year appointment to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee on Sept. 1. Additionally, he currently serves on the NCAA Division I Council and the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. He was also recently appointed to the NCAA Council Coordination Committee (CCC). On the fields and courts, the Bulldogs have captured 69 Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships during his tenure, including a school record 11 championships in 2022-23. Additionally, in the most recent Southern Conference All-Sports standings Samford won both the Germann Cup (top women’s program) and the Commissioner’s Cup (top men’s program), marking the first time any school has swept the awards since Appalachian State in the 2012-13 academic year. Academically, the school’s student-athletes have also posted outstanding results in the classroom, with 2,175 Bulldogs being named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll. Samford’s student-athletes posted an impressive 97 percent in the most recent NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report, the highest mark in the SoCon and in the state of Alabama. Over the last 12 years, the Athletics Department has seen significant growth in corporate partnerships and annual giving, more than doubling philanthropic gifts and sponsorship revenues. Facility enhancements have also been a hallmark of Newton’s tenure with the Bulldogs. Samford has opened a new soccer and track stadium as well as a new softball stadium, indoor hitting facility for the baseball and softball programs and an indoor practice

facility for men’s and women’s golf. A new academic center was recently built in Bashinsky Field House. Additionally, state-of-the-art video boards have been added to the Pete Hanna Center (men’s and women’s basketball/volleyball), Seibert Stadium (football), Joe Lee Griffin Field (baseball) and in Shauna Yelton Field at the Cameron Bean Track (soccer/track and field). The football video board was a part of Phase I of the Seibert Stadium project, which was completed in August 2019 and was 100 percent donor funded. Phase II, which was completed prior to the 2021 season, included a complete renovation of the Bashinsky Press Tower, new premium seating on the west side of the stadium and renovations to the east side Gate House. In the spring of 2017, a goal of Newton’s was realized when the inaugural class of the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame was inducted. He has also negotiated an exclusive universitywide footwear and apparel deal with Nike, helped lead the way on a university-wide licensing agreement with the Licensing Resource Group and successfully transformed the antiquated radio network into an industry leader in campus-led broadcast production with all Samford home athletic events airing on ESPN3 or ESPN+. Newton started the Samford Strong Leadership Academy in 2014. The academy is a program jointly developed between the Athletics Department and the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership. Its mission is to bring successful athletes to campus to share their personal stories and the importance of faith and character to success in all areas of life for Samford’s student-athletes. Following his 1983 graduation from Samford, he worked in sports marketing for Converse for 13 years. Newton then spent 13 years in a similar capacity at Nike. Prior to his return to Samford, Newton was hired at the University of Kentucky in 2009, where he managed the budget, fund-raising, compliance, scheduling, marketing and academic support for the men’s basketball program. Newton and his wife, Cindy, have three grown children, Katie, Madison and Charles. They also have two grandsons, Charlie and Sawyer.

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Carley Kuhns Head Coach

Carley Kuhns was officially named Samford’s third head women’s basketball coach on April 10, 2019. In her first season as Samford’s head coach in 2019-20, Kuhns engineered a dramatic turnaround in the program. After winning just 10 games the season before, the Bulldogs went 18-14 in Kuhns’ debut season. Despite being picked seventh in the Southern Conference’s preseason polls, the Bulldogs won a share of the SoCon regular-season title, the first in the history of the program. Samford then won the SoCon Tournament for just the third time in program history. With the SoCon Tournament title, the Bulldogs earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the NCAA Tournament was eventually canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SoCon media named Kuhns the league’s CoCoach of the Year. In that first year several players had break-out seasons under Kuhns’ leadership. Natalie Armstrong was named first team All-SoCon, and she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the SoCon Tournament. Sarah Myers was also named first team All-SoCon, and she earned second team All-SoCon Tournament honors. Paige Serup was named first team All-SoCon Tournament as well. Kuhns’ second season at the helm of Samford Women’s Basketball was just as memorable as her first, as the Bulldogs marched to an 11-2 record in Southern Conference play and their second-straight regular season league championship which led to a trip to the WNIT in Memphis. While the Bulldogs finished the year 14-11 overall, Samford played one of its most difficult schedules in program history in the midst of a global pandemic. On the road to the league title, Andrea Bailey was named SoCon Player of the Year and a unanimous All-SoCon first team selection while Natalie Armstrong was named All6

2021 Southern Conference Coach of the Year (Unanimous) 2020 Southern Conference Media Co-Coach of the Year 2017 Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year 2015 Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame Inductee SoCon as well. Kuhns was named the unanimous SoCon Coach of the Year following the 2021-22 season. In Kuhns’ third season as the head Bulldog in 2021-22, Samford made a SoCon Tournament semifinal appearance. Following that season, Bailey, Armstrong and Sussy Ngulefac were named to the All-SoCon teams. Following the 2022-23 season, Bailey was again named the SoCon Player of the Year by the media, and she was named first team All-SoCon by both the media and the coaches. At the time of Kuhns’ hiring, Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton talked about the qualities of Kuhns that made her the perfect candidate for the job. “Everyone we talked to about Carley had nothing but glowing recommendations about her character, competitive yet compassionate demeanor and her ability to recruit and coach at the highest level,” Newton said. “We’re excited about adding Carley, her Husband Matt, and their three daughters, Carsten, Kyler and Cohen to our Samford family and look forward to the next chapter of Samford Women’s Basketball.” Kuhns came to Samford after spending previous three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State University. In her three seasons at VSU, Kuhns posted a record of 66-29. She led her teams to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018 and one Gulf South Conference Tournament title in 2017. Her 2018-19 squad finished with a record of 21-10 overall and 16-6 in GSC play. The season marked her third-straight 20-plus-win season. The

2022-23 BASKETBALL team reached the finals of the GSC Tournament for Kuhns joined the Bruins’ coaching staff after the second time in her three seasons at the helm of completing a two-year graduate assistantship at the program. Valdosta State. While with the Lady Blazers, she In Kuhns’ second season in 2017-18, she led the assisted with various components of the program. Lady Blazers to a 23-9 record in the regular season, Kuhns was a student-athlete at Valdosta State and 15-5 in conference play. VSU made an impressive from 2004 through 2008, earning multiple honors, run in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. including becoming the first Lady Blazer since 2001 Under Kuhns’ leadership, the 2016-17 season to be named a Kodak/State Farm WBCA Honorable produced VSU’s first 20-plus win campaign since Mention All-American. She scored 1,133 career 2011 (22-10) and the first NCAA South Regional points, the 16th-most in program history and was Tournament appearance since 2010. Kuhns and the a two-time First Team All-Gulf South Conference Lady Blazers claimed the program’s first Gulf South selection. Her 262 three-pointers earned her the Conference Tournament Championship since 1984. school record in the category and placed her fifth At the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, Kuhns was all-time in Gulf South Conference history. named the GSC Coach of the Year. The illustrious playing career of Kuhns also Under Kuhns’ tutelage, Madi Mitchell became a helped VSU earn a trip to the NCAA Division two-time WBCA Honorable Mention All-American. II Sweet 16 during her senior campaign with a During her time at VSU, Kuhns coached two first 26-6 overall record. She led the team in scoring, team All-GSC players, two All-Region players and one averaging 10.4 points per game, and tallied a .373 member of the GSC’s All-Academic team. shooting percentage from three-point range that Kuhns, a 2015 Valdosta State Athletics Hall of season. In her career, Kuhns also accumulated 436 Fame inductee, took over at VSU following a six-year rebounds, 247 assists, 35 blocked shots and 245 stint as an assistant coach at Belmont. While with steals. the Bruins, she helped lead the program to an Ohio In 2010, Kuhns was named to the prestigious Valley Conference Championship in 2015-16 and the Gulf South Conference All-Decade Second Team program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in for her stellar career on the hardwood at Valdosta the history of Bruin Basketball. During Kuhns’ tenure State. at Belmont, she participated heavily in the program’s Kuhns earned her Bachelor’s in Physical recruiting efforts, and five of her recruits earned Education from Valdosta State in 2008 and All-OVC recognition. In addition, Kuhns served as an completed her Master’s in Higher Education academics and compliance liaison while also adding Leadership in 2010. She and her husband Matt, who contributions with scouting, team workouts, camps also played basketball at Valdosta State, have three and the training of perimeter players. Her efforts daughters, Carsten, Kyler and Cohen. helped lead the Bruins to a 24-9 record in 2015-16.

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Matt Wise ASSISTANT COACH Matt Wise begins his second season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Samford. Wise is involved in all aspects of the women’s basketball team. Wise spent the 2021-22 season as the director of video and creative content for the women’s basketball program at Alabama. Prior to his time in Tuscaloosa, Wise spent time in the Southern Conference, serving as a men’s basketball assistant coach at ETSU (2020-21). There, he helped guide the Bucs to a winning record, including an 8-7 mark in the Southern Conference, before reaching the semifinal game of the SoCon Tournament. Before that, Wise served as a men’s basketball assistant coach at the University of Wyoming (201920), his second stint at the school. Prior to his second stop at Wyoming, he spent the 2018-19 season as the men’s basketball assistant coach at Little Rock. In his one season there, Wise played an integral role in coaching guard Rayjon Tucker to All-Sun Belt Conference honors after averaging 20.3 points per game, which ranked fourth in the league. Tucker became just the fifth player in program history to eclipse the 600-point threshold with 610 points, while he also ranked fourth in points per game. In Wise’s first stop at Wyoming, he served as the men’s basketball assistant director of player development (2013-18). During that time, he saw the Cowboys make three postseason appearances, which included a Mountain West Conference Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament berth in 2014-15, following a 25-win campaign. The 25 wins were the most by a Wyoming team since winning 26 in 1988, while it marked the Cowboys’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Following that season, Larry Nance Jr. – the 2015 MWC Player of the Year – was selected 27th overall in NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Under Wise’s watch, Wyoming won 20 straight non-conference home games between 2015-17, resulting in the second-longest win streak in program history. Before his first stop at Wyoming, Wise spent two seasons as a men’s basketball graduate assistant at the University of Florida where the Gators made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Wise’s responsibilities with the Gators included conducting advanced statistical research, assisting with on-court workouts, helping with video editing, promoting and marketing summer camps and assisting the director of operations with daily tasks for the program. Wise was a four-year letterwinner at Transylvania University (2007-11), where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. There, he guided the Pioneers to an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament after winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. In 2013, he graduated with a master’s degree in sport management from Florida. He and his wife Katie have two children, Addy and Jack. Matt is the son of Mark Wise, a college basketball broadcaster, and Mary Wise, head volleyball coach at the University of Florida.

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Sally Higgins ASSISTANT COACH Sally Higgins begins her eighth season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Samford. Higgins is involved in all aspects of the women’s basketball program. Throughout her time at Samford, Higgins has been involved in recruiting, on-court coaching, travel planning and working with the strength and conditioning staff on the team’s strength and conditioning program. Higgins was instrumental in the turnaround the program experienced during the 2019-20 season. After winning just 10 games the previous season, the Bulldogs posted a record of 18-14, and won the program’s first Southern Conference regular-season title with a 10-4 league record. The team then won the program’s third SoCon Tournament title. In her second season as an assistant for coach Kuhns, Samford Women’s Basketball was just as memorable as her first, as the Bulldogs marched to an 11-2 record in Southern Conference play and their second-straight regular season league championship which led to a trip to the WNIT in Memphis. While the Bulldogs finished the year 14-11 overall, Samford played one of its most difficult schedules in program history in the midst of a global pandemic. On the road to the league title, Andrea Bailey was named SoCon Player of the Year and a unanimous All-SoCon first team selection while Natalie Armstrong was named All-SoCon as well. Higgins came to Samford after serving as the director of basketball operations at Stephen F. Austin from the summer of 2015 until her hiring at Samford. At Stephen F. Austin, she was involved with nearly all facets of the women’s basketball program, including team travel, scheduling, on-campus recruiting visits and equipment management, as well as assisting with the day-to-day functions of the office. Higgins played basketball at West Texas A&M from 2010-14, appearing in 109 games in her four-year career. She made 35 appearances during her senior season in 2013-14, averaging 19.0 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. As a senior, Higgins helped her team compile an impressive 32-3 record and advance to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship game. She scored six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the title game but her team narrowly fell to Bentley. A native of San Angelo, Texas, Higgins graduated from West Texas A&M in May of 2014 with a degree in corporate communication. She also spent eight months in a seminary program called the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri.

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Charity Brown ASSISTANT COACH Charity Brown enters her first season as an assistant coach on the Samford women’s basketball staff. “I could not be more excited about Charity returning to Samford as an assistant coach. She had an exceptional career as a player that will no doubt translate to her success as a coach,” Samford head coach Carley Kuhns said. “Her ability to connect with people from all different backgrounds will be a huge asset to our program. She exemplifies everything Samford Women’s Basketball stands for and will be a phenomenal leader and role model for our players.” Brown returns to Samford after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Point University in Georgia. In her final season with the Skyhawks, Brown helped shepherd Point to a 23-9 record and the program’s first Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship. “I am very excited to be back at Samford and to work for a great University and Women’s Basketball Program,” Brown said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work under a great coach but an even better person, like Coach Carley, and to work alongside Coach Matt and Coach Higgs! I’m ready to get going!” A former All-Southern Conference selection, Brown played in 115 games and started 97 for Samford from 2016-20. She averaged 6.6 points with 4.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds during her Bulldog career. Brown’s name is littered through the Samford record books as the former guard holds the program’s record for most assists in a career with 511, while also ranking top 10 in rebounds with 501 and games started. During her senior season, Brown was named third team All-SoCon after leading the league with 5.8 assists per game while helping Samford to SoCon regular season and tournament titles in 2020.

Support Staff

Jonathan Farris Walker Martin Director of Olympic Strength and Conditioning

Graduate Assistant

Lauren Talton Athletic Trainer

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AD A concussion is nothing to play with. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury and should be taken seriously. Although fewer than 10% of concussions involve a loss of consciousness, it is important to understand the dangers and not take them lightly. Even a minor fall or collision may be of concern, so be alert to symptoms such as headaches, unsteadiness, confusion or other types of abnormal behavior. Any athlete with a suspected concussion should be removed from play, evaluated by a doctor, monitored and not left alone.

To make an appointment, please call 205-934-1041.

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2023-24 SAMFORD WOME

Lexie Pritchard Gr. Guard

Alonya Waldon Fr. Guard

Jada Knight Jr. Guard

Sadie Stetson Gr. Guard

Masyn Marchbanks So. Guard

Alyssa Tarpley So. Guard

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EN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER

Kennedy Langham Fr. Guard

Kiersten Nelson Jr. Forward

Carly Heidger RS-So. Guard

Rylie Stephens Sr. Guard

Aubrey Blankenship Fr. Guard/Forward

Emily Bowman RS-So. Center

CONNECT SAMFORD_SPORTS Check samfordsports.com for game times. 17

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