2021-22 Coastal Carolina Basketball Yearbook

COASTAL CAROLINA BASKETBALL 2021-22 SEASON

AJA BLOUNT

ESSAM MOSTAFA DEAJA RICHARDSON

EBRIMA DIBBA

TIX: 843-347-8499

GoCCUSports.com

2 0 2 1 G A m E d Ay I l l u S t r At E d

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BASKETBALL SCHEDULES

4

2021-22 CHANTICLEERS

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HEAD COACH CLIFF ELLIS

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2021 CHANTICLEERS

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HEAD COACH JAIDA WILLIAMS

Men’s and Women’s Basketball Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Men’s Basketball Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Men’s Basketball Home Game Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Men’s Basketball Head Coach Cliff Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

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Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

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Women’s Basketball Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Women’s Basketball Home Game Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jaida Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

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Women’s Basketball Coaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 2021-22 Chanticleer Spirit Teams/We’re the Chanticleers (Fight Song) . . . . . . . . .18

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Coastal Carolina University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

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University President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Board of Trustees/Executive Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

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Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Matt Hogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

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THE OFFICIAL HEALTH SYSTEM OF THE CHANTICLEERS.

AND OF FAMILIES ACROSS OUR REGION. Just like CCU, make Tidelands Health your partner in better health.

Call 1-866-TIDELANDS, or visit us online at tidelandshealth.org.

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2 0 2 1 - 2 2 C O A S tA l C A r O l I N A B A S k E t B A l l

M e n ’ s a nd WoM en’s B a sk e tBa ll schedules W O M E N

M E N D AT E

TIME

Nov 9 Nov 18

7:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

OPPONENT

D AT E

TIME

OPPONENT

FERRUM COLLEGE UNC Wilmington

Nov 9 Nov 13 Nov 16 Nov 20

5 P.M. TBA 6 P.M. 2 P.M.

AGNES SCOTT South Carolina State ERSKINE UNCW

BAHA MAR NASSAU CHAMPIONSHIP, NASSAU BAHAMAS

Nov 22 Nov 23 Nov 24

TBA TBA TBA

Dec 1 Dec 4 Dec 6 Dec 12 Dec 15 Dec 19 Dec 30 Jan 1 Jan 2 Jan 6 Jan 8 Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 20 Jan 22 Jan 27 Jan 29 Feb 3 Feb 5 Feb 10 Feb 12 Feb 17 Feb 19 Feb 24 Feb 26

7 p.m.

TBA 7 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

3 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

2 p.m.

TBA 2 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

8 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

8 p.m.

3 p.m.

Valparaiso TBA TBA

COASTAL CAROLINA THANKSGIVING CLASSIC

SOUTH CAROLINA WINTHROP MERCER WOFFORD METHODIST Middle Tennessee State ULM* LOUISIANA* EMORY & HENRY Troy* South Alabama* Appalachian State* APPALACHIAN STATE* Georgia Southern* Georgia State* LITTLE ROCK* ARKANSAS STATE* UT Arlington* Texas State* GEORGIA STATE* GEORGIA SOUTHERN* SOUTH ALABAMA* TROY* Arkansas State* Little Rock*

2022 SUN BELT MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Mar 3 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7

TBA TBA TBA 6 p.m.

Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.)

Nov 26 Nov 28

2 P.M. 2 P.M.

UNCG ETSU

Dec 4 Dec 7 Dec 15

TBA 6 P.M. 11 A.M.

WOFFORD WESLEYAN SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA

COASTAL CAROLINA CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

Dec 18 Dec 19

2 P.M. 4:30 P.M.

FLORIDA A&M RADFORD

Dec 30 Jan 1 Jan 6 Jan 8 Jan 13 Jan 15 Jan 20 Jan 22 Jan 26 Jan 29 Feb 5 Feb 10 Feb 12 Feb 19 Feb 24 Feb 26

TBA 4 P.M. 6 P.M. 2 P.M. 7:30 P.M. TBA 6 P.M. 2 P.M. 6 P.M. 4 P.M. 3 P.M. 6 P.M. 2 P.M. 1 P.M. 6 P.M. 2 P.M.

Troy* South Alabama* GEORGIA SOUTHERN* GEORGIA STATE* Little Rock* Arkansas State* ULM* LOUISIANA* Appalachian State* APPALACHIAN STATE* Texas State* Georgia State* Georgia Southern* UT ARLINGTON* SOUTH ALABAMA* TROY*

2022 SUN BELT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Mar 2 Mar 4 Mar 6 Mar 7

TBA TBA TBA 1 p.m.

Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.) Pensacola Bay Center (Fla.)

Home Games Listed in CAPS * - Denotes Sun Belt Conference games All game times are Eastern Standard Time Dates and Times Subject to Change 2021 Gameday Illustrated

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2021-22 mEN’S rOStEr

2

3

4

GARRICK GREEN

RUDI WILLIAMS

KEVIN WILLIAMSON

S-Sr. I G I 6-6 I 215

Sr. I G I 6-2 I 190

Sr. I G I 6-5 I 200

BATON ROUGE, LA. / HOWARD COLLEGE

HAMILTON, ONTARIO / KANSAS STATE

AIKEN, S.C. USC / SALKEHATCHIE

5

DEON FOUNTAIN

10

11

EBRIMA DIBBA

JOURDAN SMITH

WILFRIED LIKAYI

Sr. I C I 6-10 I 250

R-Jr. I G I 6-6 I 205

Jr. I F I 6-7 I 195

Sr. I F I 6-9 I 205

COLUMBIA, S.C. / LSU

BREDANG, SKARHOLMEN / ST. BENEDICT'S PREPARATORY SCHOOL

NEW ORLEANS, LA. / NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE

PORTLAND, ORE. / NEW MEXICO STATE

14

JOSH UDUJE

15

20

ISAAC HIPPOLYTE

AHMARD HARVEY

21

JALEN MILNER

Fr. I G I 6-5 I 175

Sr. I F I 6-7 I 215

Jr. I F I 6-7 I 195

Jr. I G I 6-1 I 190

LONDON, ENGLAND / ARIZONA COMPASS PREPATORY

SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. / ST. JOSEPH'S REGIONAL HS

FREEPORT, BAHAMAS / ASPIRE BASKETBALL ACADEMY (KY.)

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA. / GEORGIA MILITARY

24

44

Sr. I G I 6-6 I 190

R-So. I C I 6-9 I 250

CHARLESTON, S.C. / ST. JOHN'S

CAIRO, EGYPT / LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN HS

VINCE COLE 4

12

ESSAM MOSTAFA

GoCCUSports.com

2021-22 mEN’S HOmE GAmES

/// W 101-73

NOV. 9

JAN. 2

HTC CENTER

HTC CENTER

FERRUM COLLEGE

EMORY & HENRY

/// 7:00 PM

DEC. 1

JAN. 15

HTC CENTER

///

/// 2:00 PM HTC CENTER

SOUTH CAROLINA

DEC. 4

/// 2:00 PM

APPALACHIAN STATE

JAN. 27

TBD

HTC CENTER

/// 7:00 PM HTC CENTER

WINTHROP

LITTLE ROCK

DEC. 6

JAN. 29

/// 7:00 PM HTC CENTER

MERCER

DEC. 12

/// 1:00 PM HTC CENTER

ARKANSAS STATE

FEB. 10

/// 2:00 PM HTC CENTER

/// 7:30 PM HTC CENTER

WOFFORD

GEORGIA STATE

DEC. 15

FEB. 12

/// 7:00 PM HTC CENTER

/// 7:30 PM HTC CENTER

METHODIST

GEORGIA SOUTHERN

DEC. 30

FEB. 17

/// 7:00 PM HTC CENTER

HTC CENTER

ULM

JAN. 1

/// 7:30 PM

SOUTH ALABAMA

/// 2:00 PM

FEB. 19

HTC CENTER

/// 4:00 PM HTC CENTER

LOUISIANA

TROY

2021 Gameday Illustrated

5

HEAd COACH

CLIFF ELLIS 1 5 t h S E A S O N AT COASTAL CAROL INA The 2021-22 campaign marks Cliff Ellis’ 15th season as the head coach of the Coastal Carolina men’s basketball program and his 48th season overall as a collegiate head coach. He enters the 21-22 season with 876 career victories, 798 of those as an NCAA D-I coach. His 876 wins has him ranked 15th all-time as a collegiate coach. His 798 NCAA Division I wins is 10th among all NCAA Division I coaches and only needs nine victories to move into the ninth spot. He also enters the season fourth in total wins among all active coaches.

Offensive efficiency has defined Ellis-coached teams and that has been no different since his arrival at CCU. Seven of the top ten points-scored seasons in program history have occurred under Ellis.

CCU has also been one of the top three-point shooting teams since Ellis’ arrival. Of the 10 top-threepoint shooting seasons CCU has had, seven have come under Ellis.

Under Ellis the Chanticleers have won two Big South tournament championships, advanced to a pair of NCAA Tournament and played in two CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments and three CBI Tournaments.

In 2020-21 even with the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellis led the Chanticleers to their best season since becoming of member of the Sun Belt 6

Conference. The Chants finished the season with an 18-8 record, 9-5 in the conference. The 9-5 conference record was the best record CCU has had in the Sun Belt.

For the first time since joining the Sun Belt, CCU played into the tournament semifinals before dropping a 64-61 overtime decision to eventual Sun Belt Tournament Champion Appalachian State.

The Chanticleers once again moved into post-season tourney play where they finished as the runners-up in the 2021 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).

Ellis’ leadership helped develop junior DeVante’ Jones into the Sun Belt Conference’s Player of the Year after averaging 19.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and almost three steals per game.

The 2019-20 season started with promise as the Chants picked up solid wins over Middle Tennessee and Utah in the Myrtle Beach Invitational. CCU had Baylor on the ropes with a double-digit lead in the second half before a season-ending injury to Ebrima Dibba curtailed the excitement of the season’s start.

After dropping consecutive contests, the Chants rebounded to win four consecutive games and five of its next six before more injuries hit the team to derail the season once conference play started.

CCU finished the season 16-17 overall and 8-12 in the Sun Belt. The Chants did manage to win their first round game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament with a 63-62 road victory at UT Arlington.

Sophomore DeVante’ Jones became the Chants third player to reach All-Sun Belt status after being GoCCUSports.com

named to the second team following the season.

Ellis led the Chants in the 2018-19 season to a 1717 overall and 9-9 in the conference. The season came to a close in the College Basketball Invitational. CCU defeated Howard at home and then went on the road to pull the 109-91 upset win over West Virginia in a game which saw CCU’s freshman DeVante’ Jones, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, score 32 points.

The season ended just two days later in a late road loss at DePaul 92-87 in the CBI semifinal game.

Senior Zac Cuthbertson picked up All-Sun Belt honors following the season to become the Chants second All-Sun Belt pick since entering the conference.

CCU finished the 2017-18 season 15-17 over and 8-10 in the Sun Belt. While the record does not look as good as it could have, it was not indicative of how the season went. 11 of the Chants’ losses were by seven points or less, including three losses at the final horn and three two-point losses and two more losses by one point.

In 2017 he won his 200th game as CCU’s head coach becoming only the second coach in CCU history to win 200 games at CCU. He only trails long-time CCU head coach Russ Bergman, (1976-94) who finished his career with 306 victories.

On January 14, 2017, Ellis became one of the few 800-game winners in collegiate basketball with the Chants 85-73 win over Appalachian State. He also enters the 2020-21 season as the all-time winningest NCAA Division I coach in South Carolina history. His

combined wins while leading both Clemson and Coastal Carolina stands at 413, 130 more than his nearest competitor, former long-time South Carolina coach, Frank McGuire, who had 283 wins with the Gamecocks.

Ellis led the Chanticleers into their new conference, the Sun Belt, during the 2016-17 season. CCU finished the season with a 20-19 record and tied for sixth in the conference with a 10-8 season. Following the season, CCU received an invitation to its first College Basketball Invitation where it won four games before falling in the championship game at Wyoming.

Ellis had his starting guard Jaylen Shaw become the first Chanticleer to receive All-Sun Belt honors following the season.Elijah Wilson capped off his career as one of the best to ever put on the teal, finishing third among all CCU career-scorers with 1,885 points.

The 2015-16 was the final season in Big South play and Ellis led the team to a 21-12 record and a tie for third in the conference with a 12-6 record. CCU played in the CIT following the season registering three consecutive wins before falling in the semifinals to UC Irvine. Elijah Wilson and Shivaughn Wiggns were named Honorable Mention All-Big South while Tristan Curtis received the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

Following the 2014-15 season, Ellis’ 692 victories ranked him 20th on the list of all-time career coaching victories in the history of Division I basketball. While at Coastal Carolina, Ellis has amassed a pair of Big South regular season championships and two conference tournament titles, making him one of only 12 coaches in NCAA Division I history to lead four different institutions to the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, with a victory over UNC Asheville on Feb. 3, 2015, Eliis became the only coach in NCAA Division I history to tally 150-plus wins at four institutions. He is also one of two coaches to win championships in both the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference.

Ellis is a member of four halls of fame after entering the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in May of 2021.

He was already part of the Clemson University, South Alabama, and Mobile (Ala.) Area Sports and Cumberland College halls of fame. He was also named the recipient of the 2014 Gene Bartow Award, which recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the game, on and off the floor.

Another one of the many honors that has come his way was coach on August 17, 2018 when Cumberland University (Tenn.), the college that gave him his first collegiate head coaching job, named the playing court at the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena The Cliff Ellis Court.

Ellis has compiled a Division I record of 798-526 (.603) and 876-538 (.620) overall record and ranks fourth in NCAA Division I wins among active coaches. He is also just one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history to make multiple NCAA Tournament appearances with four separate schools and has been named conference Coach of the Year six times in his career and is the only coach to have at least 170 wins at four different NCAA Division I programs.

Over his 40- plus year coaching career, Ellis has guided his squads to 10 NCAA Tournaments and earned 13 National Invitation Tournament bids. Ellis’ teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament three times: once with Clemson in 1990 and twice with Auburn (1999 and 2003).

In 2014-15, Ellis guided the Chanticleers to a 21-9 regular season record, including a 12-6 mark in Big South play to earn the No. 3 seed in the VisitMyrlteBeach.com Big South Basketball Championship. In the league tournament the Chants rallied for wins over UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb before running away from Winthrop in the title game to secure a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament -- a program first.

Coastal was seeded 16th in the West Region and faced No. 1-seeded Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament.

The Chants took a pair of early leads over the Badgers, but the eventual national runner-up pulled away for an 86-72 victory.

In addition to a signature non-conference victory at Auburn and a 15-2 home record, 2014-15 highlights included Josh Cameron earning a pair of Big South Player of the Week awards, Warren Gillis surpassing the 1,000 career point total and earning second team all-conference honors along with Elijah Wilson being named the Big South Tournament MVP after averaging 20.3 points per game.

Ellis led the Chants to a 19-12 regular season finish during the 2013-14 season, including an 11-5 conference record earning the Chants’ first Big South Conference South Division Championship. Coastal went on to win three-straight games in the VisitiMyrtleBeach.com Big South Championship to earn its third Big South Conference Tournament Championship, first since 1991. Coastal nearly upset top-seed Virginia at the NCAA Tournament. The Chants led by as many as 10 points in the first half but a late surge by the Cavaliers gave UVA the victory.

Warren Gillis was named Second Team All-Big South Conference while Elijah Wilson earned an Honorable Mention. Wilson was also named to the Big South All-Freshman Team. Gillis went on to earn Tournament MVP honors while Josh Cameron was named to the All-Tournament team.

Ellis’ 2012-13 campaign featured a season opening win over perennial mid-major power Akron when the Chants opened their new home, The HTC Center. Coastal also picked up a 69-46 home win over Clemson in late December, giving Ellis back-to-back victories over the Tigers.

(Continued on page 8)

THE ELLIS FILE Hometown: Marianna, Fla. College: Florida State, 1968 (B.S. Physical Education) Middle Tennessee State, 1972 (M.Ed. Physical Education) Family: Wife, Carolyn Children, Chryssa Rutland, Clay and Anna Catherine Moore Grandchildren, Hannah Grace and Ellis Rutland, Sarah and Abbey Moore

EXPERIENCE 48th Season Overall 45th Season in NCAA Division I 15th season at coastal carolina

COACHING HISTORY 1968-69: Ruckel Junior high Assistant Coach

1969-71: niceville high school Assistant Coach

1971-72: Vanguard high school Head Coach

1972-75: cumberland university Head Coach

diVision 1 1975-84: south alabama Head Coach

1984-94: clemson Head Coach

1994-04: auburn Head Coach

2007-Present: coastal carolina head coach 7

HEAd COACH Ellis led Coastal to a 14-15 overall record in 201213 but the Chants were 12-4 at home with a near perfect 7-1 conference home ledger. Ellis helped guide senior Anthony Raffa to All-District and All-Conference honors during the season while the Chants finished fourth in the Big South Conference’s South Division.

In 2011-12, Ellis led the Chants to their first appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Coastal finished the season with a 19-12 record, while going 12-6 in Big South Conference play.

Raffa earned second team All-District honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and Raffa and teammate Chris Gradnigo were named second team All-Conference.

Ellis led the Chants to victories over LSU and Clemson during the season, marking the first time in school history that Coastal Carolina had recorded two wins in the same season over BCS schools. The win over LSU was the second-straight victory for the Chanticleers over the Tigers in as many seasons.

During the 2010-11 season, Ellis led Coastal Carolina to its second straight trip to the NIT after earning an automatic bid by winning the Big South regular season title with a school-record 16-2 conference mark. The Chanticleers opened league play with 15-straight victories and went on to set an all-time Big South record for single-season conference wins.

It was the second-straight season that Coastal Carolina captured the Big South regular season title and was the first time since the 1990 and 1991 seasons that the Chanticleers won consecutive league titles.

The Chanticleers were also a perfect 9-0 on the road in conference during the 2010-11 season and became just the second team in league history to accomplish that feat. In addition, the Chants were also the first team in conference history to win five Big South road games by at least 20 points. Coastal won by 22 at VMI (Jan. 6), 21 at UNC Asheville (Jan. 20), 24 at High Point (Jan. 27), 23 at Radford (Jan. 29) and 20 at Presbyterian (Feb. 10).

Coastal Carolina was also the first team in Big South history to win at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons and owns the conference record for the most wins in consecutive seasons with 56.

Ellis helped orchestrate one of the greatest seasons in Coastal Carolina basketball history in 2009-10, as the Chanticleers won the Big South regular season title with an overall record of 28-7 to set a new school record for the most wins in a season, surpassing the previous record of 24 victories set during the 1990-91 season. Coastal also finished the season with a 15-3 mark inside the Big South to post a new school record for conference victories. Ellis was selected as the Big South Coach of the Year and guided the Chants to a second-place finish in the Big South Tournament.

Three Chanticleers were named All-Big South in 2009-10 under the direction of Ellis. Senior Joseph Harris and junior Chad Gray were both tabbed to the All-Big South first team, while newcomer Kierre Greenwood was named to the Big South All-Freshman 8

Team. Harris ranked eighth in the Big South in scoring with 14.2 points per game and second in SOUTH ALABAMA the league and 30th in the nation with 9.6 rebounds per game. Gray stood seventh in the conference in scoring with 14.3 points per game, while Greenwood ranked eighth in assists with 3.34 helpers per game.

CLEMSON

ELLIS’ CAREER NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Harris flourished under the direction of Ellis and finished his career as the only player in Big South history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 steals and 100 blocked shots. In fact, Harris ranks first all-time in Big South history in rebounds (1,152) and games played (134), while standing tied for second in field goal percentage (.561).

In 2008-09, Ellis guided the Chants to victories over Conference USA foe East Carolina as well as home wins against UNC Asheville and Winthrop and last-second buzzer-beater victories at High Point and against VMI, who finished second in the Big South. Coastal Carolina had an All-Big South First Team selection in Harris, who led the Big South in rebounding and field-goal percentage. He also had 11 straight double-doubles and was in the top-10 in the nation in rebounding despite standing only 6-foot-5.

1979 NCAA Tournament 1980 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Midwest Regional No. 6 Seed

Round of 32 (3) Louisville

No. 9 Seed

Round of 48 L 66-69

(8) Alcorn State

L 62-70

1987 NCAA Tournament 1990 NCAA Tournament Southeast Regional East Regional No. 4 Seed

No. 5 Seed

Round of 64

Round of 64

(13) Southwest Missouri St. L 60-65

(12) BYU

W 49-47

Round of 32

1989 NCAA Tournament (4) LaSalle Round of 16 West Regional No. 9 Seed

(1) Connecticut

W 79-75 L 70-71

Round of 64 (8) St. Mary’s

W 83-70

Round of 32 (1) Arizona

AUBURN

L 68-94

1999 NCAA Tournament 2003 NCAA Tournament South Regional Midwest Regional No. 1 Seed

Round of 64 (16) Winthrop

W 80-41

Round of 32 (9) Okla. State

(7) Saint Joseph’s W 65-63

Round of 32 W 81-74

Round of 16 (4) Ohio State

No. 10 Seed

Round of 64 (2) Wake Forest

W 68-62

Round of 16 L 63-72

(3) Syracuse

L 78-79

2000 NCAA Tournament Despite a myriad of injuries that affected the Midwest Regional Chanticleers in Ellis’ first season, Coastal Carolina No. 7 Seed won 13 games, including six Big South contests, Round of 64 and was competitive in most games night in and (10) Creighton W 72-69 Round of 32 night out. The Chanticleers defeated Big South (2) Iowa State L 60-79 Conference Tournament champion Winthrop 5049 Jan. 26 and had thrilling buzzer-beating wins 2014 NCAA Tournament 2015 NCAA Tournament COASTAL East Regional West Regional over Radford (76-75) Jan. 12 and Charleston CAROLINA No. 16 Seed No. 16 Seed Southern (85-78 in OT) Feb. 2. Coastal Carolina Round of 64 Round of 64 also had two big wins over High Point, including a L 72-86 (1) Virginia L 59-70 (1) Wisconsin heart-pounding 56-55 win Feb. 18. Ellis coached Jack Leasure, who was an All-Big South Second Team selection, an ESPN The Magazine Tournament Sweet 16, losing to eventual National Academic All-America selection and was the Big South Champion Syracuse 79-78. Auburn had a 22-12 record Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year for all sports. Ellis also in 2002-03, 8-8 in the SEC and a runner-up finish in the guided Anthony Breeze to a Big South All-Freshman Western Division. It marked the third-most wins in selection. school history, all three while Ellis was at the helm.

Senior Marquis Daniels was a first-team All-SEC Ellis spent 10 years (1994-2004) as the head coach selection and the Birmingham News’ SEC Player of the at Auburn, posting a 186-125 (.598) record. During his Year and went on to play for the Boston Celtics. time, Ellis led the Tigers to a school record 29-4 mark in 1998-99, including a 14-2 mark in the SEC to win the league title, and took the team to the NCAA Championship as a No. 1 seed, eventually advancing to the Sweet 16. He was named the 1999 Southeastern Conference and National Coach of the Year by six different organizations, including the John and Nellie Wooden and Associated Press awards. Ellis also led Auburn to the 2000 NCAA Tournament after a 24-10 record overall, becoming a finalist for National Coach of the Year. He also garnered 1995 SEC Coach of the Year honors in his first year at Auburn after taking the Tigers to a 16-13 record overall, earning a berth in the NIT. Ellis took the Tigers to seven postseason appearances in his 10 years. A preseason last-place pick in the SEC, the Tigers went to the 2003 NCAA GoCCUSports.com

In the story book 1998-99 season, the Tigers climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls and finished the season No. 4. Auburn won the outright SEC Championship (the school had only won two in the previous 67-year history of the SEC with the other coming in 1960), SEC Western Division Championship and set the state of Alabama record for victories in a season with a 29-4 record.

Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum sold out seven times, and a record 123,881 fans passed through its doors. The Tigers had never had back-to-back home sellouts in the then 31-year history of the Coliseum.

In fact, he reached 100 wins at Auburn faster than any other coach in Tiger history, including the legendary Joel Eaves, Auburn’s all-time winningest

DIVISION I WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACHES TOTAL CAREER WINS REGARDLESS OF DIVISION (Minimum Five Years as a Division I Head Coach, Entering 21-22 Season)

COACH

SCHOOL

1 MIKE KRZYZEWSKI 2 JIM BOEHEIM 3 BOB HUGGINS 4 CLIFF ELLIS 5 JOHN CALIPARI 6 BILL SELF 7 RICK BARNES 8 DANA ALTMAN 9 JIM LARRANAGA 10 KELVIN SAMPSON

WINS

DUKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,170 SYRACUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .982* WEST VIRGINIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .900 COASTAL CAROLINA . . . . . . . . . .876 KENTUCKY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .742 + KANSAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .729 TENNESSEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .727 OREGON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 690 MIAMI (FL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .670 HOUSTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .667

* - Does not include 101 wins vacated by the NCAA + - Does not include 42 wins vacated by the NCAA

COACHES TO TAKE FOUR SCHOOLS TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

COACH

STEVE ALFORD JOHN BEILEIN LEFTY DRIESELL CLIFF ELLIS LARRY EUSTACHY JIM HARRICK LON KRUGER FRAN MCCAFFERY TOM PENDERS RICK PITINO TUBBY SMITH EDDIE SUTTON

SCHOOLS

MISSOURI STATE, IOWA, NEW MEXICO, UCLA CANISIUS, RICHMOND, WEST VIRGINIA, MICHIGAN DAVIDSON, MARYLAND, JAMES MADISON, GEORGIA STATE SOUTH ALABAMA, CLEMSON, AUBURN, COASTAL CAROLINA UTAH STATE, IOWA STATE, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI, COLORADO STATE PEPPERDINE, UCLA, RHODE ISLAND, GEORGIA KANSAS STATE, FLORIDA, ILLINOIS, UNLV, OKLAHOMA LEHIGH, UNC GREENSBORO, SIENA, IOWA RHODE ISLAND, TEXAS, GEORGE WASHINGTON, HOUSTON BOSTON UNIVERSITY, PROVIDENCE, KENTUCKY, LOUISVILLE TULSA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, MINNESOTA CREIGHTON, ARKANSAS, KENTUCKY, OKLAHOMA STATE

coach for whom the Coliseum is named.

In 1999-2000, Auburn was named the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the nation by Sports Illustrated and sold out of all 10,500 season tickets for the first time in school history prior to the season. The Tigers spent most of the year in the top 10, had the secondlongest home court winning streak in the nation at 30 games and led the SEC’s Western Division for 29 straight weeks dating back to 1998-99. The Tigers’ 24 wins in 1999-2000 marked the second-most wins in school history, and the Tigers’ 50-9 record over the two years was the fourth-best mark in the nation behind Duke, Cincinnati and Stanford. The 53 combined wins were the most wins in back-to-back seasons in school history. Auburn played in the SEC Tournament Championship game for only the third time in school history.

Ellis coached at Clemson from 1984-1994, putting together a 177-128 (.580) record in his tenure. While

at Clemson, Ellis led the Tigers to the 1990 Atlantic Coast Conference title, the only one in the school’s history, with a 24-8 overall record, a 10-4 ACC mark and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. For his efforts, he earned ACC and NABC and US Basketball Writers District III Coach of the Year honors. He had previously garnered the ACC and District Coach of the Year awards in 1987 after pacing the Tigers to a 25-6 mark, the best in the school history, a runner-up finish in the ACC and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had been to postseason play just five times prior to his arrival. He was the first coach in ACC history to guide a school to postseason play in each of his first six years with a league program.

The 1989-90 Clemson team continued the tradition of excellence that Ellis began when he took over the program. For the first time in the school’s 80-year history, the Tigers won the regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Also for the first time, two Tigers were All-ACC first-team selections of the Associated Press/Atlantic Coast Sportswriters in the same year. Ellis became the first Tiger basketball coach to be named conference Coach of the Year twice (1987 and 1990).

Later that season, Ellis’ Tigers knocked off ACC foe North Carolina 69-61, and four days later, defeated fifth-ranked Duke 97-93. The Duke victory also gave Clemson its 24th consecutive victory in Littlejohn Coliseum, setting the Clemson record and ranking fourth best in active home winning streaks nationwide. Included in those 24 wins were 13 victories over ACC teams, five ranked in the AP Top 25, three in the Top 10.

In 1986-87, Ellis’ Tigers became the most successful team in Clemson history, finishing with a 25-6 record, a No. 13 national ranking and an NCAA Tournament berth. Ellis, who became the first Clemson coach to be named ACC Coach of the Year, was also named NABC District III Coach of the Year by his peers and the state of South Carolina Coach of the Year. The Tigers defeated five USA Today Top 25 teams and became only the second squad (at that time) in Clemson history to be invited to the NCAA Tournament. Ellis also moved Clemson into the Top 10 in both the AP and UPI polls for the first time in school history.

Ellis started his Division I head coaching career at South Alabama from 1975-1984, where he developed the program into a nationally recognized team in his nine years. He had a 171-84 (.671) record, the highest winning percentage in South Alabama history and led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt Conference Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances, while earning one Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year award. He led the Jaguars to a top10 national ranking during his tenure. During his time with the Jaguars, he also served as the Athletic Director and was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall 2021 Gameday Illustrated

of Fame in 2003 for the work he did with the Jaguars’ basketball program.

He started his collegiate head coaching career at Cumberland University, where he also served as athletic director from 1973-1975. In his three years, he led Cumberland to a 78-12 (.867) record, including two league championships. Ellis started his career in the high school ranks, coaching at Ocala Vanguard and Niceville high schools and Ruckel Junior High School in his first four years.

Ellis has always had a reputation for recruiting topnotch athletes. Four of his players from the 1980-81 South Alabama team were drafted in the NBA, more than any other school in the nation. The Jaguars had three more drafted in 1985, all players Ellis had recruited to the school. He has six first round choices, including 1994 NBA lottery pick Sharone Wright, Terry Catledge, Horace Grant, Elden Campbell, Dale Davis and Mamadou N’diaye, and he has coached a conference player of the year four times. Chris Whitney, a second round pick in the 1993 NBA Draft, is another former Clemson Tiger who played for Ellis.

In his first year at Auburn, Ellis signed point guard Moochie Norris, who was a second round NBA Draft pick in 1996 and played for the Houston Rockets. Chris Porter was drafted in the second round by the Golden State Warriors in 2000. Point guard Jamison Brewer was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers.

Prior to coaching at Coastal Carolina, Ellis worked as a television broadcast analyst, with numerous national and regional games including Big South Conference and Coastal Carolina games, from 20042007. Ellis earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Florida State in 1968 and his master’s degree, also in physical education, from Middle Tennessee State in 1972.

Ellis is also a musician, author and a former ostrich farmer. He started in the recording business before coaching and has released many records. In 1991, he released a record called “Loveland” by Cliff Ellis and the EBS All-Star Blues Band. He cut another record, “Cliff Ellis and Friends,” which includes several rock `n’ roll songs and a rendition of “Amazing Grace” dedicated to the late Jim Valvano, a close friend who taught Ellis much about life through his battle with cancer. “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” another song on the compact disc, climbed all the way to No. 13 on the “Beach Music” charts. His most recent CD is “People Get Ready” in which he collaborated with Grammy winner Marty Rabun (Shenandoah) and former Auburn players. Ellis also has seven publications to his credit.

He has published three books - “Zone Press Variations for Winning Basketball,” “The Complete Book of Fast Break Basketball” and “Cliff Ellis: The Winning Edge,” released in the summer of 2000. Ellis is married to the former Carolyn Ratzlaff and they have three children, Chryssa Rutland, Clay and Anna Catherine Moore, and four grandchildren, Hannah Grace and Ellis Rutland and Sarah and Abbey Moore.

9

CHANtIClEEr COACHES

MEN’S COACHING STAFF

BENNY MOSS Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach

alMa MateR

alMa MateR

Charlotte, 1992

New Orleans, 2010

(B.A. Business Administration)

(B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies)

hoMetoWn

hoMetoWn

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Piney Woods, Miss.

coachinG eXPeRience

coachinG eXPeRience

Pfeiffer, Assistant Coach, 1993-96

ELWYN MCROY

Phillips, Assistant Coach, 1996-98 Henderson State, Assistant Coach, 1998-00

Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach

Charlotte, Assistant Coach, 2001-06 eXPeRience

UNC Wilmington, Head Coach, 2006-10

eXPeRience

28th season overall

Coastal Carolina, Assistant Coach, 2011-13

24th season overall

11th season at Coastal Carolina

coastal carolina, associate head coach, 2014-present

3rd season at Coastal Carolina

Mack Prep School, Assistant Coach, 2011-12 Arlington County Day School, Assistant Coach, 2012-13 Abilene Christian, Assistant Coach, 2013-15 Wright State, Assistant Coach, 2015-16 Southern Utah, Assistant Coach, 2016-17 coastal carolina, assistant coach, 2017-present

MATT HURT

alMa MateR

Director of Men's Basketball Operations

Syracuse, 2012 (B.A. Public Relations)

eXPeRience

hoMetoWn

12th season overall

Louisville, Ky.

12th season at Coastal Carolina

coachinG eXPeRience

ZACH SETTEMBRE

Iroquois High School (Louisville, Ky.), Assistant Coach, 2012-13

Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach

Ballard High School (Louisville, Ky.), Assistant Coach, 2013-2015 Louisville Collegiate School, Assistant Coach, 2016-17

WARREN GILLIS

9th season overall

Louisville Collegiate School, Head Coach, 2017-18

Special Assistant for Quality Control

1st season at Coastal Carolina

Tallahassee Community College, Assistant Coach/Interim Head Coach, 2018-19

eXPeRience

Tallahassee Community College, Head Coach, 2019-21

3rd season at Coastal Carolina

eXPeRience

coastal carolina university, assistant coach, 2021-2022

10

Charlotte, Graduate Assistant Coach, 2010-11

GoCCUSports.com

3rd season overall

11

2021-22 WOmEN’S rOStEr

0

1

BRALI SIMMONS

BLAYRE SHULTZ

3

JORDYN NEWSOME

MARIEME DIOUF

Jr. I G I 5-7

So. I G I 5-8

Fr. I G I 5-8

So. I G I 5-7

MORRISTOWN, TENN. / WALTERS STATE CC

MEMPHIS, TENN. / ST. AGNES ACADEMY

IRVING, TEXAS / IRVING MACARTHUR HS

RUFISQUE, SENEGAL / GREENFOREST ACADEMY

4

ARIN FREEMAN

5

10

DEAJA RICHARDSON

JANEEN CAMP

11

ANGIE JUSTE-JEAN

Fr. I G I 5-7

Jr. I G I 5-9

Sr. I C I 6-5

Fr. I G I 5-8

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. / NORTH LITTLE ROCK HS

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. / TENNESSEE STATE

PORTSMOUTH, VA. / TOWSON

MONTREAL, QUEBEC / WINSTON-SALEM CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

12

TYRA BROWN

14

20

SAVANNAH DEWS

21

JANAE CAMP

AJA BLOUNT

Sr. I G I 5-6

Fr. I F I 6-2

Grad. I F I 6-1

Sr. I F I 5-11

ST. LOUIS, MO. / JEFFERSON COLLEGE

TUCSON, ARIZ. / BRENTWOOD ACADEMY

PORTSMOUTH, VA. / TPLS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

NORTHAMPTON, PA. / IMG ACADEMY

23

31

KALAYA BUGGS

12

2

ARIELLE-VADRELLE BELINGA

32

BENIE LUNDU

Fr. I G I 5-7

Fr. I F/C I 6-0

Fr. I C I 6-5

COMPTON, CALIF. / LONG BEACH POLYTECHNIC HS

RIVERDALE, GA. / SANDY CREEK HS

KINSHASA, CONGO / GREEN FOREST HS

2021-22 WOmEN’S HOmE GAmES /// W 117-25

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JAN. 6

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AGNES SCOTT

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ERSKINE

GEORGIA STATE

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NOV. 26

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ULM

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ETSU

LOUISIANA

DEC. 4

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TBD JAN. 29

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WOFFORD

APPALACHIAN STATE

/// 6:00 PM

DEC. 7

FEB. 19

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WESLEYAN

UT ARLINGTON

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DEC. 15

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HTC CENTER SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA

FEB. 24

4:00 PM /// 6:00

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DEC. 18

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FEB. 26

4:00 PM /// 2:00

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13

HEAd WOmEN’S BASkEtBAll COACH

JAIDA WILLIAMS NINTH SEASON Jaida Williams was named the sixth head women's basketball coach in Coastal Carolina University history on April 11, 2013, and is in her ninth season leading the Chanticleers in 2021-22. In eight years at the helm of the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball program, Williams has led the Chanticleers to a 114-116 overall record and a 64-81 conference mark (24-37 in the Big South and 41-44 in the Sun Belt).

In an unprecedented year, 2020-21 saw the Chants struggle and could not maintain the momentum gained from the previous two years.

Coastal picked up three non-conference wins before dropping all 13 conference contests to finish out the season 3-15.

To say that the 2019-20 season was a record-breaking and historic season for Coastal Carolina women’s basketball may be an understatement. Williams led the Chanticleers to a program-record 25 victories with an overall record of 25-4.

Williams was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Coach of the Year after her squad posted a 15-3 record and a second-place finish in the Sun Belt. For the third-straight season, she coached the Sun Belt’s leading scorer as senior DJ Williams averaged 19.4 points per game. DJ Williams was selected the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference, while Naheria Hamilton was named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors. Sophomore Aja Blount was also selected second-team All-Sun Belt. The season ended with the Sun Belt Conference canceling its championship tourney due to COVID-19. As a team, the Chants were second in the Sun Belt in scoring (78.21 ppg) and defense (61.69 ppg) and ranked tops in the conference with a +16.52 scoring margin. Coastal Carolina led the Sun Belt Conference in four team statistical categories and ranked second in nine other categories.

The 2019-20 season was a continuation of the growth of the program as the 2018-19 team made the program’s first-ever postseason appearance after accepting an invitation to play in the 2019 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). Coastal fell to Campbell at home in the opening round of the WBI tournament, but it did not diminish the significance of the appearance. Coastal also reached the quarterfinals 14

of the Sun Belt Championship for the second-straight season after hosting its firstever Sun Belt tournament game at the HTC Center, a 63-49 win over ninth-seeded Arkansas State. It was additionally the second straight season that Williams oversaw the Sun Belt's leading scorer, as junior guard DJ Williams averaged over 18 points per game on her way to first-team All-Sun Belt honors.

In 2017-18, Williams led the Chants to a 17-14 overall record. Coastal also won 10 of 18 Sun Belt Conference games to finish seventh in the league, and Williams won the program's first Sun Belt Championship game as the Chants defeated Georgia State 74-55 in the first round of the 2018 conference tournament in New Orleans, La. Under Williams' tutelage, senior guard Jas Adams was the Sun Belt's leading scorer averaging over 18 points per game and became the program's first student-athlete to earn All-Sun Belt first team honors. Also earning All-Sun Belt accolades was sophomore guard DJ Williams, who was voted to the second team.

Williams helped usher in a new era of Coastal Carolina women's basketball in 2016-17 as the Chanticleers completed their first season of competition as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Chants went 13-16 overall, including an 8-10 record in Sun Belt games to place eighth in the conference. Williams and the Chants recorded Coastal's inaugural Sun Belt victory against Arkansas State on Jan. 17, 2017 at the HTC Center, and finished the regular season strong by winning four of their final five games. Senior point guard Ced Gibson became the first studentathlete in program history to be voted All-Sun Belt after placing in the top 10 in the conference in seven statistical categories.

Williams' third season in 2015-16 saw the Chants finish with a 12-18 overall record for the second consecutive year. That record included a 7-13 mark against Big South opponents in Coastal's final season of competition in the conference.

Coastal finished ninth in the Big South and lost a heartbreaking 67-64 decision on a three-point buzzer-beater in the first round of the conference tournament. The 2015-16 season included several notable wins, including Coastal's first-ever victory over Clemson on Nov. 15. The Chants also snapped a 45-game losing streak to Liberty with a 58-51 win over the Flames on Feb. 20 in Lynchburg, Va. Finally, Coastal's 105-15 win in the season opener against Mid-Atlantic Christian marked the program's largest-ever margin of victory. Coastal placed two student-athletes on All-Big South teams as Ced Gibson was voted a second team selection and

Olivia Carlton made the conference's All-Academic Team.

In her second season, Williams led the 2014-15 Chants to a 12-18 overall record and a 6-14 mark against Big South opponents. Williams' team boasted the Big South's second-highest scoring offense, averaging 69.0 points per game, and the third-highest scoring margin at +3.7 points. Coastal also finished near the top of the conference standings in most rebounding categories, including first overall in defensive rebounds (27.70 per game) and second overall in rebounding margin (+5.6).

Williams also guided her student-athletes to several individual successes in the 2014-15 season. AJ Jordan finished the season as the Big South's leading scorer averaging 16.9 ppg and earned first-team All-Big South honors for the second straight year under Williams' guidance. Jordan also received Big South Player of the Week recognition on Jan. 19, as did junior Anna Vogt on Dec. 22. First-year Chanticleer Jas Adams was a Big South All-Freshman team selection at year's end and was twice tabbed the conference's Freshman of the Week during the season. Overall, three of Coastal's starters (Jordan, Vogt, Ced Gibson) finished in the league's top-20 in scoring, while two (Vogt, Alexis Robinson) ranked in the top-10 in rebounding.

Williams led Coastal to a 15-16 overall record and a 10-10 Big South mark during the 2013-14 season, her first on the Chanticleer sideline. The Chanticleers' 15 wins were the most since the 2009-10 season, while the 10 conference victories marked the most since the 1993-94 campaign. In addition, Coastal won a Big South Tournament game for the first time since 2010.

Three of Williams' starting five were all-conference performers, including AJ Jordan (first team), Angelica Henry (honorable mention), and Karsen Sims (all-freshman). Williams also mentored Alexx Puckett to a Big South Player of the Week honor -- the first for a Chanticleer since the 2010-11 campaign.

Williams laid the foundation for success at Coastal Carolina during her inaugural season, featuring her teams' up-tempo style of play. In 2013-14, the Chanticleers averaged 71.9 points per game, ranking second in the Big South Conference. In addition, Coastal shot an impressive 41.4 percent from the field and a league-best 34.6 percent from beyond the arc. Moreover, Jordan ranked third in the conference averaging 16.6 points per game, becoming the first Chant to average 16-plus points since 2006-07.

Several records were broken in Williams' first season, highlighted by Angelica Henry recording Coastal Carolina's first-ever triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against Charleston Southern in the opening round of the Big South Tournament. The Chanticleers also set program records with their 40 start to Big South play, the largest margin of victory in a conference game with a 30-point win at Longwood on Dec. 28 and the largest margin of victory in a Big South Tournament contest with a 35-point victory against Charleston Southern on March 4.

Williams came to Conway after serving on head coach Jennifer Hoover's staff at Wake Forest. She spent the 2012-13 season as the Demon Deacons' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator where she built a top-20 recruiting class. In addition to her duties as recruiting coordinator, Williams also served as the team's offensive coordinator, helping the 2012-13 Demon Deacons average 67.6 points per game in the historically tough Atlantic Coast Conference.

In addition to her on-court duties at Wake Forest, Williams also helped the Demon Deacon studentathletes to a 3.2-grade point average while also serving as the program's alumni relations representative.

Prior to her time in Winston-Salem, Williams spent time with Ganon Baker Basketball, where she traveled the country working with WNBA players as a skills development coordinator.

THE WILLIAMS FILE Hometown: Miami, Fla. College: Cal Poly Pomona, 2005 (B.A. Journalism) Overall record: 114-116 Conference Overall: 64-81 n Big South: 24-37 n Sun Belt: 41-44

EXPERIENCE Eighth season overall Same at Coastal Carolina

COACHING HISTORY 2005-06: iowa Director of Operations

Williams has previously served on the staff at Iowa, South Florida, and UC Santa Barbara. She was at UCSB for three seasons from 2008-11. While at UCSB, she played an instrumental role in helping the Gauchos twice win the Big West regular-season and tournament titles. UCSB made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and received a berth into the WNIT in 2011. Her recruiting classes were named the tops in the Big West in both 2008-09 and 2009-10. She also helped in the development of Mekia Valentine, who was drafted by the WNBA's New York Liberty in 2009.

2006-08: south Florida Coaching Assistant

Williams joined the Gaucho staff after two successful seasons as an assistant at the University of South Florida from 2006-08, where she assisted with recruiting, game preparation, and player development. During her stint at USF, she successfully recruited a top 16 class and made a pair of WNIT appearances

2012-13: Wake Forest Assistant Coach

Before joining the staff at South Florida, Williams served as the director of operations at the University of Iowa for the 2005-06 season. Williams is an active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

2008-11: uc santa Barbara Assistant Coach

2013-present: coastal carolina head coach

As a player, Williams was a standout for Cal Poly Pomona from 2002-05, helping the Broncos to a 23-7 record her senior season. Graduating in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in journalism, Williams helped lead Cal Poly Pomona to a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament Regional Final before losing to Seattle Pacific.

Williams played her first two collegiate seasons at Barry University under current USF coach Jose Fernandez, where she helped the Buccaneers to a 21-9 record as a freshman, earning Sunshine State Conference's All-Freshman team honors. In her sophomore season at Barry, Williams led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game earning recognition on the AllSSC First Team and as a Kodak All-American honorable mention. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

2021 Gameday Illustrated

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Bank how you want to—online, in the TD Bank app or in person.

Connect your way today. Visit tdbank.com

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CHANtIClEEr COACHES

WOMEN’S COACHING STAFF

VANESSA TAYLOR Associate Head Coach Women's Basketball eXPeRience

alMa MateR

alMa MateR

Tuskegee, 1991

Southern Illinois, 2014

(B.S. Psychology)

(B.S. University Studies)

hoMetoWn

hoMetoWn

Moultrie, Ga.

Peoria, Illinois

coachinG eXPeRience

coachinG eXPeRience

Elizabeth City, Head Coach, 1994-2001 Johnson C. Smith, Head Coach, 2001-12 North Carolina Central, Head Coach, 2012-17 coastal carolina, associate head coach, 2017-present

NICHOLAS MORGAN Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach

Illinois Central College, Assistant Coach, 2013-2014 Beloit College, Men’s Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator, 2014-2015 Blackburn College, Head Women’s Coach, 2019-2021

eXPeRience

26th season overall

1st season at Coastal Carolina

5th season at Coastal Carolina

alMa MateR

alMa MateR

Dickinson State, 2018

Coastal Carolina, 2020

(B.S. University Studies)

(B.A. Communications / Minor in Sports Management)

hoMetoWn hoMetoWn

Houston, Texas

Pittsburg, Pa. coachinG eXPeRience

AKEEM WILLIAMS Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach

Satria Muda of the NBL

TORRIE CASH

Assistant Video Coordinator and Assistant Player Development Coach:

Director of Women's Basketball Operations

Phoenix Suns, 2018-19 eXPeRience 2nd season at Coastal Carolina 1st season as a Coach

eXPeRience

Video coordinator, coastal carolina 2019-20

2nd season at Coastal Carolina

eXPeRience Cash, a former Chanticleer standout, helped lead the team to the program's best-ever season in 2019-20, posting a 25-4 overall record and a 15-3 record in Sun Belt Conference play.

1st season as Director of Women’s Basketball Operations

2021 Gameday Illustrated

17

2021-22 CHANtIClEEr SPIrIt tEAmS

WE'RE THE CHANTICLEERS (CCU Fight Song)

C H EER SQUAD MEMBER S n

Jadyn Penland

n

Erin Coyle

n

Ashlee Boykin

We're the Chanticleers,

n

Kolby Vest

n

Caleb Degn

n

Harley Huey

Tenacious and true.

n

Micayla Hall

n

Meghan Trucksis

n

Sean Sullivan

We'll fight until the end

n

n

Allison Blechl

n

Reagan Finnegan

n

Stephen Caratozzolo

n

Gracie Vinzant

n

Alyssa Lehrmann

n

Kyla Gonzalez

n

Ceara Day

n

Jolleen Harbarger

n

Nautica Downey

n

Kayla Vest

n

Abby Zuccato

n

Melvin Hall

n

Katie White

n

Samantha Tuten

n

Olivia Versace

n

Miya Ervin

n

Dutch Hendricks

n

Ashlyn Franey

n

Sara Senich

n

Victoria O'Malley

n

Daniel Valentino

We'll compete with honor And always to win.

Gather for our battle cry And then...

We'll shout our colors.

And then we'll yell out

Sierra Baxter (Co-Captain)

For CCU!

Go teal! (Go teal!)

(Co-Captain)

(Co-Captain) n

Jackson Bazemore (Co-Captain)

n

Riley Pierce

n

Christopher Supple

n

Lilly Burdette

n

Lexi Reginatto

n

Jack Schafer

n

Harper Lewis

n

Jenna Johnson

And bronze! (And bronze!)

Head Coach: Dave Almeida

And every team will learn Coastal is number one!

We're the Chanticleers-

DANCE TEAM MEMBERS

Defending the shoreBest of Carolina n

Alyssa Avallone

n

Briana Harper

n

Mickie Smith

n

Bailey Bateman

n

Serena Lin

n

Taylor Spies

Stronger than the oaks

n

Kendall Cook

n

Kendall Moore

n

Morgan Britt Tripp

And sure as the tide,

n

Elisabeth Daniels

n

Savannah Piziak

n

Charley Trout

Our hearts are beating fast

n

Alyssia DiLorenzo

n

Abbe Reynolds

n

Logan Urban

With Coastal pride!

n

Madelyn Gillott

n

Megan Ryverson

n

Kayla Ward

n

Caroline Haberman

n

Lauren Slice

n

McKaellen Wilkerson

Since '54.

SOCK 'EM, BUST 'EM THAT'S OUR CUSTOM

Head Coach: Marla Sage

COASTAL CAROLINA

18

GoCCUSports.com

2021-22 CHEER SQUAD

2021-22 DANCE TEAM SQUAD

2021 Gameday Illustrated

19

mASCOt/CHAuNCEy

WHA T IS A C H A N TI CL E E R ?

A Chanticleer (SHON-ti-cleer) gives Coastal Carolina University one of the most unique nicknames in all of sports. Chanticleer comes from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and came to the University when it was a member of the University of South Carolina system. A Chanticleer is a rooster who rules the barnyard with cunning and wit. His competitiveness never wanes as he battles to the end, using his brains to come out on top every time.

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C O A S tA l C A r O l I N A u N I V E r S I t y coastal carolina university is a public comprehensive liberal arts institution in Conway, South Carolina that offers 95 major fields of study toward the baccalaureate degree, 27 master’s degree programs, two educational specialist degrees, and two Ph.D. programs.

More than 10,400 students from across the country and around the world engage with a worldclass faculty, and they enjoy an inspiring cultural calendar and a tradition of community interaction fueled by more than 177 student organizations.

The 19 Coastal Carolina athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The University’s mascot is the Chanticleer, a proud, fierce, and quick-thinking rooster derived from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The football, lacrosse, softball, and baseball teams compete in the TD Sports Complex, which houses the award-winning Springs Brooks Baseball Stadium.

The Chanticleer baseball team won the 2016 College World Series, the University’s first national championship.

The University campus comprises 115 main buildings on 621 acres, including the General James Hackler Golf Course, a public 18-hole golf facility adjacent to campus. Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

MISSION coastal carolina university is a public comprehensive liberal arts institution that seeks to develop students who are both knowledgeable in their chosen fields and prepared to be productive, responsible, healthy citizens with a global perspective. To deliver on this commitment, Coastal Carolina recruits highly qualified and motivated students, faculty, and staff from the region, state, nation, and world to create a diverse and dynamic student-centered learning environment.

Because Coastal Carolina embraces the teacher-scholar model, it places primary emphasis on high-quality teaching and engaged learning, and it supports faculty research, creative activities, and expert collaboration in the community, state, nation, and world. This focus enables faculty and staff to mentor students in collaborative research, creative opportunities, and internships. To nurture this active learning community, Coastal Carolina maintains a broad range of contemporary technologies, programming, support services, and innovative course offerings and delivery methods. The result is alumni who are well prepared for professional careers or graduate programs in their chosen fields and who continue to be connected to Coastal Carolina.

Inspired by its founding in 1954 to serve the educational needs of the region, Coastal Carolina has a tradition of a strong liberal arts core.

As such, Coastal Carolina commits its resources to building undergraduate and graduate degree programs of national and/or regional significance in the arts and sciences, business, humanities, education, and health and human services. Coastal Carolina fully embraces its leadership role as a regional center of economic and intellectual resources, lifelong learning, cultural and recreational opportunities, and athletic programs.

As Coastal Carolina executes this mission, it recognizes its responsibility to be a role model to the community by assuring fair and honest treatment of people with whom it interacts and sustainable stewardship of resources entrusted to it; adopting the highest standards of integrity and accountability; and committing itself to excellence through continuous assessment and improvement.

Update adopted by the Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees on July 19, 2014.

Update approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education on Feb. 5, 2015.

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uNIVErSIty PrESIdENt

MICHAEL T. BENSON THE THIRD PRESIDENT OF COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY Michael T. Benson, a veteran of higher education administration, is the third president of Coastal Carolina University. He began his tenure on Jan. 1, 2021, and also holds the title of professor of history at CCU. Benson previously served as the 13th president of Eastern Kentucky University from 2013 to 2020 and was named president emeritus of EKU in December 2019. While at EKU, he held an appointment as professor of government. He recently served as a visiting professor in the Department of History of Science and Technology in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.

Before serving as president of Eastern Kentucky, Benson was the 15th president of Southern Utah University, where he helped secure the designation for SUU as the state’s public liberal arts and sciences university; established the Hispanic Center for Academic Excellence; gained admission into the Big Sky Conference for all athletic teams; completed new residence halls, a teacher education facility, and a science and engineering center; and directed the development and implementation of SUU’s largest and most ambitious comprehensive fundraising effort. This endeavor, named the “Future is Rising Campaign,” raised a record $105 million for SUU. Benson previously served for five years as the 14th president of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, 22

where he helped raise more private money for the institution during his tenure than had been secured in the previous 115 years of the college’s history combined. Appointed president of Snow College at age 36, Benson was the youngest college president in the history of the Utah System of Higher Education.

Benson’s background includes membership on the Council of Presidents of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, on the Presidents’ Trust for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and on the Task Force on University Partnerships of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. He has chaired multiple substantive change committees for universities in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Active in intercollegiate athletics, Benson completed a four-year term as a member of the nineperson NCAA Honors Committee, the group charged with awarding the NCAA’s highest recognitions each year. He is also a past chair of the Presidents’ Council for the Ohio Valley Conference and was elected as representative for the Ohio Valley Conference on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum.

Born in Utah and raised in Texas and Indiana, Benson has worked and studied abroad for seven years in Italy, England, and Israel. He earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1990 with a major in political science GoCCUSports.com

and double minors in English and history. He completed his doctorate in modern history from the University of Oxford (St. Antony’s College) in 1995, where he was a Rotary Foundation Scholar and recipient of the Oxford Graduate Overseas Fellowship. He also earned a master’s degree cum laude in nonprofit administration in 2011 from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, where he was the recipient of the prestigious Father Theodore Hesburgh Founder’s Award. Benson graduated with a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University in August 2021.

Benson’s scholarly work has focused on the development of the research university and its impact on society. His most recent book, Gilman at Hopkins: The Birth of the Modern American Research University, will be released by Johns Hopkins University Press this fall.

An accomplished athlete, Benson played basketball at both Brigham Young and Oxford, and his best marathon time – 2 hours and 41 minutes – won his age division in the St. George (Utah) Marathon, one of the largest marathons in the U.S. He also finished among the top 15% of all registered runners in the 1984 Boston Marathon.

Benson and his wife, Debi, are the parents of three children – Truman, Tatum, and Talmage. He also has two older children from a previous marriage. Emma graduated from Brigham Young University and is a TV anchor in Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Samuel is a junior majoring in sociology and Spanish at BYU.

BOArd OF truStEES / EXECutIVE OFFICErS

Coastal Carolina University Board of Trustees In 1993, the South Carolina General Assembly passed legislation establishing Coastal Carolina University as an independent public institution, effective July 1, 1993.

The legislation established the governing body of Coastal Carolina University, the Board of Trustees, which by statute is responsible for overseeing the effective governance of the University. The Board of Trustees defines the mission, role, and scope of the University, establishes the general policies of the University, approves the budget, and provides accountability to the public and the General Assembly.

The University’s 17-member Board of Trustees comprises the governor of the state or his or her designee, who is an ex officio member of the Board, one gubernatorial appointee from the state at-large, and 15 members elected by the South Carolina General Assembly to represent each of the state’s Congressional Districts and the state at-large.

The Board of Trustees holds regular meetings four times each year. The University’s first Board of Trustees met on July 1, 1993.

Board of Trustees

President’s Cabinet

The Honorable Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina Ex Officio Chairman

administrators representing all areas of Coastal Carolina

H. Delan Stevens ’79, Chairman

support to the University president and generally meet

Natasha M. Hannah ’94, Vice Chairman Patrick Sparks ’95, Secretary/Treasurer John H. Bartell Jr. Lee A. Belcher ’08 William S. Biggs Lisa Davis Dalton B. Floyd Jr. Joe N. Jarrett Jr. Sherry I. Johnson ’96 Mark S. Kelley ’78 George E. Mullen Bradley J. Poston ’16 Jason M. Repak ’07 Oran P. Smith Eugene C. Spivey ’91 William E. Turner III ’97

The President’s Cabinet is a group of senior level University. These individuals serve as executive-level every two weeks. This is a non-voting body.

Michael T. Benson University President Daniel J. Ennis Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost David A. Frost Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer Matthew L. Hogue Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Carlos Johnson Senior Vice President/University Counsel Christopher A. Johnson Chief Executive Officer Coastal Educational Foundation Travis E. Overton Vice President for Executive Initiatives/ Chief of Staff Diane Sanders Interim Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement James Solazzo Vice President for Student Success, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Atiya K. Stokes-Brown Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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VICE PrESIdENt OF INtErCOllEGIAtE AtHlEtICS

MATT HOGUE VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND UNIVERSITY RECREATION

Matt Hogue is the vice president of intercollegiate athletics and university recreation for Coastal Carolina University, a title change he received in April 2021.

Named the director of athletics at Coastal Carolina University on Feb. 27, 2015, after serving as interim director of athletics since March 2014, was recently named 2020-21 Athletics Director of the Year by The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA)—one of only four recipients of this award at the FBS level.

Hogue was one of 28 winners across seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions, and Junior College/Community Colleges). Winners will be recognized leading up to and in conjunction with the 2021 NACDA & Affiliates Virtual Convention, July 27-28.

The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses, and their surrounding communities.

coordinated the Chanticleer Sports Network. His colorful, exciting calls were synonymous with Chanticleer Athletics.

A 25-year broadcast veteran, Hogue built a diverse play-by-play resume that includes stints with USC’s Gamecock Radio Network, Minor League Baseball and appearances on regional TV including Fox Sports Net, SportSouth, and ESPN properties. He also served as the broadcast voice of the Big South Conference’s basketball TV package.

In his role as associate vice president of marketing, Hogue was charged with developing marketing strategies and advertising for University recruitment, academic, and specialty programs as well as directing and monitoring the University’s trademark licensing program.

Previously, he served as the associate athletic director for enhanced media, assistant athletics director for marketing. He began his career at Coastal Carolina as the assistant sports information director.

Hogue earned his baccalaureate degree from the University of South Carolina and completed his MBA from Winthrop University.

He and his wife, Laura, live in Conway with their daughters Rachel and Caroline.

Since Hogue was named the director of athletics at Coastal Carolina University in 2015, the CCU athletic teams have won 14 conference regular-season championships as well as 17 conference tournament championships. The baseball team also won the department’s first-ever National Championship in 2016.

Hogue, who has a long-time association with Coastal athletics, previously served as CCU’s associate vice president of marketing.

Hogue joined Coastal in 1997 and has served in several different roles in the Department of Athletics and in the Office of University Communication, where he led CCU’s marketing and trademark licensing efforts.

Hogue is best known for his 17-year stint as the “Voice of the Chanticleers” on the Chanticleer Sports Network, providing live game broadcasts, features, and weekly programs about CCU athletics.

In 2013, Hogue was named a finalist for the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA) Sportscaster of the Year for the state of South Carolina. He has edited a book entitled “Chanticleer Athletics: Fifty Years of Excellence” with other CCU contributors and dedicated the book to Edward M. “Dick” Singleton, former chancellor of the university. Partial proceeds from the book benefited the Edward M. Singleton ScholarAthlete Award scholarship at CCU. As the “Voice of the Chanticleers,” Hogue managed, produced, and

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LOTTERY-FUNDED SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SINCE 2002.

PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIP LIFE SCHOLARSHIP S.C. HOPE SCHOLARSHIP S.C. NEED-BASED GRANTS