Ave Maria University Women's Basketball

I have just completed my second year as the womens head basketball coach at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida. This past season, our team finished with 18 wins, the most for the program since the 2018-2019 season.  We made our second consecutive trip to the Sun Conference Tournament and back-to-back tournament wins for the first time since the 2013-2014 & 2014-2015 seasons. I have been blessed during my short time at Ave to coach three All-Sun Conference team selections in two seasons and most recently placed two 2022-2023 All-Sun conference members, the most for the program since the 2018-2019 season. I was blessed and honored as the 2021 Sun Conference Coach of the Year, NAIA Region 6 Coach of the Year, and a finalist for NAIA National Coach of the Year. Before arriving at Ave Maria, I served as the womens head basketball coach at Deer Creek High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. During my time at Deer Creek, I coached three McDonalds All-American Nominees and assisted in guiding our team to a state tournament berth during the 2019-20 season that was not completed due to COVID. Prior to Deer Creek, I made coaching stops at California State University Maritime, Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and Oklahoma City University.

Jelani Akil is in his first year as head coach for the Ave Maria Women's Basketball team. Akil, a former student at Ave Maria from 2011-15, played on the men's basketball team in all four of his years, seeing action in 88 games. In his senior year, he served as team captain and started in all 29 games. He logged 1000 minutes, averaging 12.5 points and eight rebounds per game. Off the court, he was named to the Second Team All-Sun Conference and was selected as the Sun Conference's Champion of Character for exemplifying the NAIA's core values of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. At the conclusion of that tremendous senior season, he was awarded the Men's Basketball Leadership Award, was named the team's Most Valuable Player and honored as Ave Maria's Male Athlete of the Year. Akil was also the recipient of the AMU Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassato Sportsmanship award in 2015. The award's namesake, Pier Giorgio Frassati, was an Italian Catholic lawyer in the early 1900s who was affectionately called the "Man of the Beatitudes" by Saint John Paul II and was recently canonized himself on September 7, 2025.  Akil graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Minor in Mathematics and Family & Society from Ave Maria in 2015. Since that time, he has worked as a financial advisor for both Edward Jones and Fidelity Investments in Arizona.

Teigan McCormick is in her fifth season with the Ave Maria University volleyball program, and her second as head coach.  McCormick was elevated to AMU's head coach after three seasons as an assistant. She took over entering the 2024 beach volleyball season, which saw the Gyrenes win The Sun Conference championship and earn an invitation to the NAIA Tournament. Before coming to Ave Maria, McCormick served as an assistant coach with the renowned USA South Volleyball program, which has churned out dozens of Division I volleyball players. McCormick was an assistant coach for the 16U team, helping the team to an AAU national championship and a top ten USA Volleyball ranking. She has also served as a coach with the Junior Trojans Volleyball and Prime Time Volleyball Club organizations. McCormick was an accomplished volleyball player in her own right, playing first for two seasons at Parkland College, where she was a first team All-American. She then moved on to the University of Indianapolis, where she was a team captain and helped UIndy to two conference tournament bids. McCormick resides in Ave Maria with her husband Michael, who is AMU's head baseball coach. Together they have a daughter, Kolby Rae, and two sons, Stetson Cash and newborn Augie. They are parishioners at Corpus Christi FSSP in Naples, where they attend the Traditional Latin Mass.

Kellyanne Scanlan is in her first season as an assistant basketball coach at Ave Maria.

Branden Pannell is in his first year as an assistant coach for the Ave Maria University women’s basketball team. A native of Harlem, New York, Pannell competed for the Ave Maria men’s basketball program during his collegiate career, where he was known for his leadership, communication, and dedication to team culture. During his time at AMU, he served as a resident assistant, campus ministry leader, and student mentor, helping foster a strong community rooted in faith and purpose. Before joining the women’s basketball staff, Pannell served as the head middle school boys’ basketball coach at Donahue Academy for two seasons, where he led player development and implemented a faith-based leadership approach that helped strengthen the school’s basketball foundation. Pannell graduated from Ave Maria University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. In addition to coaching, he is a published author and motivational speaker whose work focuses on faith, identity, and personal growth. Through his experiences as an athlete, mentor, and communicator, Coach Pannell brings a holistic approach to player development emphasizing servantship, identity, and purpose in every aspect of the game.