Aggie Mary Ann Baker

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Rudybryan
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McCray-Penson Announces Women's Basketball Staff Additions


April 24, 2020

STARKVILLE Mississippi State women's basketball head coach Nikki McCray-Penson announced the additions of Keith Freeman, Scepter Brownlee, Brittany Young and Ashley Morris to her staff Friday.

"You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with," said McCray-Penson. "I can't think of a better group to work alongside as we start this next chapter. Not only are they talented but they are even better people. Each member of our staff has a relentless work ethic. They have a love and passion for coaching young people and for finding a way to win. We are so excited, and we can't wait to meet our new Bulldog family."

All four staff members arrive in Starkville after previously being on staff with McCray-Penson at Old Dominion. Young and Morris joined the 2020 C-USA Coach of the Year on her inaugural staff at ODU, while Freeman and Brownlee were hired prior to the 2018-19 campaign.

Freeman, who boasts 24 seasons as a head coach, has been named associate head coach. Two of college basketball's rising stars in Brownlee and Young will serve as assistant coaches. Young was also tabbed as the recruiting coordinator. Morris will be the director of operations.

McCray-Penson also announced that Maryann Baker and Abby Hunt will both remain on staff.

"I am so thrilled to have Maryann and Abby stay on staff," said McCray-Penson. "After talking with both of them, their passion for what they do was so clear. They are truly dedicated to Mississippi State athletics, to the community, and to our players. I know Maryann and Abby will both have a tremendous impact on our program as we continue to build on our success both on the court and in the community."

Baker will serve as the assistant athletics director of women's basketball. After previously holding the role of director of operations for eight years, Baker will assist the new staff with the transition while also working closely with senior administration as it relates to the program.

Hunt will continue in her role as the coordinator of on-campus recruiting & digital services, assisting in recruiting efforts and managing the team's social media accounts.



Keith Freeman, Associate Head Coach

A veteran in the coaching ranks, Freeman brings more than 30 years of coaching experience to Mississippi State and McCray-Penson's staff.

"One of the things I most admire about Keith is his great basketball mind," said McCray-Penson. "He has a tremendous amount of experience on both sides of the floor, and he's won at every level. He is extremely successful at developing post players. Not only is he a great teacher, he's a great person."

Freeman spent the last two seasons on staff at Old Dominion. The associate head coach helped lead the Monarchs to their first postseason appearance since 2015 as well as back-to-back seasons with 20-plus wins. This year, Old Dominion compiled a 24-6 record and finished second in the C-USA. The Monarchs were projected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before the event was cancelled.

Before going to ODU, Freeman served as the associate head coach and assistant coach at Wright State (2012-18) for a combined six seasons. During his tenure at Wright State, Freeman helped guide the Raiders to a 135-67 record, five postseason bids and five campaigns with 20-plus wins. In 2013-14, he helped coach Wright State to a school-record 26 wins and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Prior to Wright State, Freeman served as a head coach for 24 seasons with a 415-294 record.

Freeman spent the majority of his head coaching career at Valparaiso (1994-2012). During his time with the Crusaders, Freeman is the all-time winningest coach in program history with 286 victories. He helped lead the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two Mid-Continental Conference Championships and two Mid-Continental Conference Tournament Championships.

The three-time Mid-Continental Conference Coach of the Year coached 33 players to all-conference honors and produced the team's first WNBA player in Marlous Nieuwveen, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2005. In 2001-02, he coached the Crusaders to a 26-7 record and was named a finalist for the National Coach of the Year.

Prior to Valparaiso, Freeman spent time as the head coach at Saint Joseph's College and Huntington College, both in Indiana.

At Saint Joseph's (1990-94), Freeman went 85-28 in four seasons and was the Great Lakes Valley Coach of the Year in 1991-92. At Huntington (1983-90), Freeman was 19 when he was named the head women's coach and then 21 when he was named the head men's coach. As the youngest collegiate coach, Freeman guided the Huntington women to a National Christian College Athletic Association National Championship in 1984.

Freeman graduated cum laude from Huntington College in 1986 with a degree in Business Administration. He then earned his MBA in 1987 from Ball State.



Brittany Young, Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator

A rising star in the coaching ranks, Young joins McCray-Penson's staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with an impressive resume from her previous stops and successful playing career.

"I have known Brittany for the longest of anyone on my staff," said McCray-Penson. "She has great feel for people and an innate ability to connect with people. She is a tireless worker and a relentless recruiter. Brittany is an awesome person with a great basketball mind. She is great at building relationships and has a unique way of connecting with young people, and she loves to teach them."

Young was on McCray-Penson's staff all three years at Old Dominion. During her time at ODU, she helped lead the Monarchs to their first postseason appearance since 2015 as well as back-to-back seasons with 20-plus wins. She played an important role in signing the C-USA's top 2019 recruiting class.

This year, Old Dominion compiled a 24-6 record and finished second in the C-USA. The Monarchs were projected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before the event was cancelled.

Young helped coach the Monarchs to one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation during her second campaign by posting a 21-11 record, despite having the seventh-youngest roster in the country entering the year, after winning eight games in her first year. The 13-win improvement ranked sixth in the NCAA in 2018-19.

Before going to ODU, Young spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Stetson, where she helped the Hatters to a 26-win season and the program's first-ever Atlantic Sun regular season championship.

Prior to that, Young was at Daytona State College for two years, serving as the program's recruiting coordinator, director of player development, director of operations, academic coordinator and strength and conditioning liaison.

From 2011-13, Young was a graduate assistant at South Carolina under Dawn Staley. During her two seasons at South Carolina, the Gamecocks were nationally ranked and twice earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to beginning her coaching career, Young was a CoSIDA Academic All-American and all-conference performer at Francis Marion University. She was a member of the school's all-decade team and earned MVP honors twice.

In addition to her success on the court, Young was President of the Student Athletic Advisory Council and was just one of 26 recipients of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics in 2011. She graduated from Francis Marion in 2008 with a degree in Political Science and then obtained her master's degree in Sport and Entertainment Management from South Carolina in 2013.



Scepter Brownlee, Assistant Coach

One of the top rising coaches in the game, Brownlee boasts coaching experience at both the men's and women's collegiate Division I level and has been instrumental in developing student-athletes on and off the court at every stop during his career.

"Scepter is a great person and a master at getting people into the gym," said McCray-Penson. "He is great at teaching, scouting and recruiting, but his biggest strength is his unbelievable player development. He loves it. He trained me when I was in the WNBA. He is a great motivator, and he has a way of connecting with players."

Brownlee spent the last two seasons on McCray-Penson's staff at Old Dominion. The assistant coach helped lead the Monarchs to their first postseason appearance since 2015 as well as back-to-back seasons with 20-plus wins. This year, Old Dominion compiled a 24-6 record and finished second in the C-USA. The Monarchs were projected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before the event was cancelled.

Prior to his stint at ODU, Brownlee was the assistant athletic director and boys' varsity basketball coach at ODU from King's Ridge Christian School in Georgia from 2014-18. He was also the CEO and master trainer of Great Day Basketball, a program he founded in 2011.

Before his time coaching high school and club basketball in the Atlanta area, Brownlee spent seven years of coaching in the men's collegiate game. He was an assistant at Georgia State (2007-11) and Southeast Missouri State (2006-07). He served as graduate assistant at Tennessee under national coach of the year Bruce Pearl in 2005-06. His first coaching opportunity came as an assistant at Colby Community College in Kansas in 2004-05.

Tennessee was where Brownlee first met McCray-Penson, where Brownlee eventually served as McCray's trainer during the latter years of her WNBA career.

Brownlee graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2004 with a degree in Sociology. At USF, Brownlee was a two-year letterwinner and point guard. He earned the Jackie Robinson USF African American Athlete of the Year Award as a senior.



Ashley Morris, Director of Operations

McCray-Penson named Morris as her director of operations.

"Ashley has been around the game for a while," said McCray-Penson. "As a player, she led Temple to become a top-15 team in the country. She is smart and a quick learner. She knows what success looks likes and is dedicated to serving the team and building relationships with the players. She is a competitor who knows how to really connect with people."

During the last three seasons, Morris held the same position at Old Dominion. Before that, she was the head coach of her high school alma mater Central High School in Philadelphia for five seasons. At Central, Morris guided the team to three Class 6A championships.

In college, Morris played for four seasons at Temple under Dawn Staley from 2004-08. Morris was an All-Atlantic 10 and Big Five selection during her senior season after averaging 15.3 points and 4.3 assists. She ended her career with the third-most assist in program history.

Following her collegiate career, Morris played professionally overseas for two seasons in Italy and France.

Morris graduated from Temple in 2008 with a degree in Management Information Systems.
mullokmotx
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AG
It always seemed to me that one of MaryAnn's jobs was to keep Vic from getting a technical.
BigJim49 AustinNowDallas
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AG
Saw Maryann in her first season get an ACL at SMU. Got an extra year and

became a great sixth woman on the National Championship team. A winner !

BigJim49AustinnowDallas
Rudybryan
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mullokmotx said:

It always seemed to me that one of MaryAnn's jobs was to keep Vic from getting a technical.
Mary held the same job at MSST as Eric does here.....both sit next to the coaches and yes save them from themselves with technicals
trackaggie76
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I'm just happy we don't have to lose to Vic on a regular basis anymore! and Happy for Mary Ann as well
alamoaggie64
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AG
Good, I am glad she did not go to tu.
alamoaggie64
greg.w.h
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The only technical the HC shouldn't get is the second one. Get thrown out before you do that.
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