Indiana State University Women's Basketball

Marc Mitchell enters his second season as the head women's basketball coach at Indiana State and was named the 10th head coach in program history on May 10, 2024.   Mitchell’s first season at the helm in Terre Haute saw the Sycamores post their best offensive numbers in 15 years, with Indiana State averaging just shy of 66 points per game. The Trees hit the 90-point mark in a game for the first time since the 2013-14 season, while also tying a program single-game record with 15 3-pointers at Southern Illinois. Deja Jones recorded the second triple-double in program history at SIU, while Bella Finnegan broke a program single-game record with eight 3-pointers against the Salukis. Jones recorded the highest assist total by a Sycamore since the 2010-11 season, while Keslyn Secrist tallied the most points in season by an Indiana State player since the 2013-14 campaign. Savannah White also led the MVC in blocks with 51, a number which ranked in the top five in program history for a single season.   Mitchell comes to the Sycamores by way of the University of Indianapolis where he served as the head coach of the Greyhounds since the 2022-23 season. Over his tenure at UIndy, Mitchell guided the team to a double-digit win improvement and led the team to its first win in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in over six years.   “Indiana State University welcomes Coach Mitchell to our Sycamore family. His coaching experience and his proven track record of consistent program growth and development make him the right leader to take over our women’s basketball team at this time. We look forward to seeing our women’s basketball student-athletes back in action at the Hulman Center under Coach Mitchell’s leadership next season,” said Dr. Deborah Curtis, President of Indiana State University.   “I am excited to welcome Coach Mitchell and his family to Indiana State,” Lansing said. “I look forward to working with him to advance Sycamore Women’s Basketball. I believe his head coaching experience, and his experience in building successful programs will serve our student-athletes well.”   “I want to thank President Curtis and Interim Athletic Director Angie Lansing for this tremendous opportunity to serve as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Indiana State University,” Mitchell said. “I am excited to bring my competitiveness, high energy, and will-to-win mentality to this program. We will strive for excellence on and off the court. Indiana State University Women’s Basketball will achieve great things by working together, AS ONE!”   Four UIndy players earned All-GLVC postseason All-Conference recognition during his time at the helm including Elana Wells being selected to the Second Team twice. The Greyhounds found their way to the free throw line throughout his tenure leading the conference in free throws made per game (16.87), free throw attempts per game (21.67) and free throw percentage (77.8) in his first season, while sitting top three in the conference in scoring offense (74.9) in 2023-24.   A native of Elizabeth, N.J., Mitchell spent four seasons at Saint Peter's University in Jersey City, N.J. He took over a program that averaged more than 26 losses over the previous eight seasons and turned it into a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contender. The culmination came in 2020-21 when he led the Peacocks to their first winning conference record since 2008-09 and first MAAC Championship Game appearance in nearly two decades. Mitchell was named MAAC Coach of Year that season, the program's first such award since 1999.   Mitchell earned his first NCAA head coaching job at Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham in 2009-10, and over the next nine seasons, he shaped the program into a national powerhouse. In 2013, he led the Devils to the first of six consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom titles and their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, picking up MAC Freedom Coach of the Year accolades along the way.   The dream season came in 2013-14, however, when Mitchell was voted the Division III Coach of the Year after guiding the Devils to a perfect 33-0 record and a national championship. He tacked on a 29-win season and an Elite Eight appearance the next season and ultimately finished his tenure at FDU-Florham with six NCAA appearances and an 187-67 (.736) record as the program's all-time winningest coach.   Mitchell also spent time as an assistant coach at Caldwell College (2008-09) and New Jersey City University (2007-08) after three years as a teacher and head girls' basketball coach at Elizabeth High School in his hometown.   Mitchell graduated from Kean University in 2000 with a History degree and later earned a master's in Education from American Intercontinental in 2008. He and his wife Winsome have two daughters, Amira and Jade, and twin sons, Jemal and Jalen.

Jason Pruitt enters his second season as associate head women's basketball coach at Indiana State and joined the program in June 2024. Pruitt joins the Sycamore coaching staff with more than a decade of head coaching experience. He was most recently the head coach at Elmhurst, where he helped the Bluejays to a nine-win improvement from the previous season while securing a spot in the CCIW Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.   Pruitt’s lone season at Elmhurst saw the Bluejays’ numbers skyrocket, improving their scoring offense by nearly 20 points per game compared to the 2022-23 season. Elmhurst’s scoring defense also improved by nearly two points per game, while the Bluejays averaged 13.5 steals per game and improved their rebounding total to 43.2 boards per game. In addition, Elmhurst’s 12 wins were the program’s most since the 2017-18 season and represented more wins than the previous three seasons combined.   Known as a strong program builder, Pruitt has turned multiple rebuilding programs into conference contenders. Prior to his season at Elmhurst, he spent five years at La Verne, where he took over a program that went 3-22 the season before his arrival and turned the Leopards into one of the top Division III teams in the country. Pruitt went 67-62 in his five seasons as head coach at La Verne, winning double-digit games in four of those seasons. His teams were known for strong offense, averaging better than 75 points per game in each of his last three seasons at the helm. Across his final three seasons, the Leopards had an average scoring margin of plus-10.0, while averaging 77.1 points per game. Pruitt coaches six first team all-conference honorees in his five seasons at La Verne.   La Verne went 24-3 in Pruitt’s final season at the helm, winning the SCIAC regular season title and spending multiple weeks inside the Division III national rankings. Pruitt was named the D3Hoops Region 10 Coach of the Year, while his staff was named the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Three of his student-athletes earned all-conference honors as part of La Verne’s record-setting season. La Verne went 15-1 in SCIAC play to earn its first-ever No. 1 seed at the conference tournament and posted strong records both at home (14-2) and on the road (10-1). Prior to his time at La Verne, Pruitt spent the 2016-17 season as the head coach at the University of Antelope Valley, where he made an immediate impact on the Pioneers. Antelope Valley compiled a 19-7 record, including an 11-3 mark in Cal Pac Conference play to win the regular season championship. Pruitt was named Cal Pac Coach of the Year, while three Pioneers earned all-conference honors, including the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.   Antelope Valley led the Cal Pac Conference in scoring in Pruitt’s only season at the helm as the Pioneers averaged nearly 90 points per game, a mark that remains the conference record for single-season scoring average. The Pioneers also set the conference record in rebounding, pulling down an average of 53.4 boards per game, while boasting two of the three highest single-game scoring totals in conference history. Antelope Valley surpassed the 100-point mark in seven games, and the Pioneers also pulled off an upset of Pepperdine in an exhibition to begin the season.   Pruitt began his head coaching career at Bethesda University, where he turned the Flames into one of the top teams in the National Christian College Athletic Association. Bethesda earned its first-ever postseason in 2013-14, then improved on that in each of the next two years. The Flames won back-to-back NCAAA Western Region Championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16, earning Pruitt NCCAA Western Region Coach of the Year honors in both seasons. Pruitt’s 2014-15 team at Bethesda made a run to the NCCAA National Championship, earning national runner-up honors.   Pruitt also previously spent time as the associate men’s basketball coach at Caltech and the associate head basketball coach at the NSU University School. Prior to his time coaching, Pruitt spent a decade in the media industry in various positions at NBC, CBS, and ABC affiliates. He has also spent time teaching at the high school and collegiate levels, leading courses in communication, media technology, digital journalism and sports marketing. A decorated athlete himself, Pruitt was a star basketball and track & field athlete at Colbert County (Ala.) HS, where he earned a pair of high jump state championships and was a part of the 1997 Alabama State basketball championship team. Pruitt went on to play basketball at Calhoun Community College, where he won the NJCAA Alabama State Championship and played in the NJCAA National Championship game. He finished his collegiate athletic career with a season at Mississippi Valley State before spending his last season at Kentucky State. Pruitt was recently inducted into the Colbert County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 for his outstanding athletic accomplishments in the county. Pruitt holds an associate degree from Calhoun Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University and a master’s degree in Educational Technology from Nova Southeastern. He and his wife, Kara, have three daughters, Trinidy, Jayla and Kya, and a son, Quest.

Kietta Saunders enters her first season as assistant women's basketball coach and director of player development at Indiana State, and joined the Sycamores in June 2025. Saunders joins the Sycamores after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith, where she helped the Lions to an 18-11 record and a quarterfinals appearance in the MIAA Tournament in the school’s debut season in the conference.   Arkansas–Fort Smith’s 2024-25 season with Saunders on staff featured a seven-win improvement from the previous season and included 12 wins in MIAA play, the program’s most conference wins in nearly a decade while playing in one of the top Division II conferences in the nation. UAFS finished in the top 30 in Division II in scoring at 73.4 points per game, the program’s most in a season in a decade and third-highest points per game average in program history.   In Saunders’ lone season on staff, the Lions ranked in the top five in the MIAA in scoring (73.4), 3-pointers per game (7.1), 3-pointers made (206), 3-pointers attempted (651), free throw percentage (72.0), free throws made (413), free throws attempted (574), rebounds per game (39.8), offensive rebounds per game (11.8), defensive rebounds per game (28.0) and blocks per game (4.14). UAFS ranked in the top 50 nationally in blocks per game, bench points per game, free throws made per game, defensive rebounds per game and scoring offense. Anna Trusty was named the 2025 MIAA Freshman of the Year and was an MIAA Third Team All-Conference selection, averaging 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while Morgan Browning was Honorable Mention All-MIAA last season after averaging 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with Saunders on staff. Hannah Boyett also surpassed 1,000 points for her career last season, becoming the first player for UAFS to accomplish the feat in the Lions’ Division II era. Prior to UAFS, Saunders spent the 2023-24 season at Northwest Florida State College, serving as an assistant coach for one of the premier junior college programs in the country. The Raiders went 30-4 and were the 2023-24 NJCAA Division I national runner-up. Northwest Florida averaged nearly 75 points per game while outscoring their opposition by an average of 24.3 in Saunders’ lone season on staff. The Raiders shot nearly 50 percent from the field and dished out more than 20 assists per game while creating havoc on the defensive end. Northwest Florida had a plus-2 rebound margin and averaged 10 steals and four blocks per game. Prior to NWF, Saunders spent two seasons coaching in the high school ranks in her hometown of Chicago. She was the head freshman coach and assistant varsity coach at Lincoln Park High School, leading her freshman team to the Chicago Public Schools Red Conference championship. Following her one season at Lincoln Park, Saunders was the head varsity coach at King College Prep, leading a nine-win turnaround by posting a 13-8 overall record and a 9-0 conference mark to win the league title. Additionally, Saunders has served as an assistant director for Chicago Nike/NBA Youth Camp since 2019.   Saunders got her start in coaching at her alma mater, Clayton State University, serving as a graduate assistant for the 2019-20 season.   Saunders played two seasons for the Lakers, appearing in 58 games with 20 starts. Her collegiate playing career also included stops at Oklahoma Panhandle State and Angelo State. She earned both her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Clayton State.  

Mollie Williams enters her first season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Indiana State, and joined the Sycamores in September 2025 Williams joins the Sycamores after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps where she helped the Athenas to a six-win improvement, more than doubling their win total from the 2023-24 campaign.   Claremont-Mudd-Scripps featured one of the top defenses in the SCIAC with Williams on staff in 2024-25, as the Athenas allowed just 61.5 points per game. CMS improved their scoring defense by nearly eight points per game from its 2023-24 numbers, while also ranking among the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference with more than six treys per game. More than one-third of the team’s scoring came from its bench, with CMS rankings second in the conference with 21.4 bench points per game.   Williams’ lone season on staff saw Renee Chong earn all-conference honors after averaging nearly 15 points per game, while Katie Resendiz averaged better than 12 points and seven rebounds per game for the Athenas. CMS’ team in 2024-25 was a balanced effort, as seven different players averaged more than 4.5 points per game and six pulled down more than three rebounds per game. The Athenas were also a better rebounding team in Williams’ year on staff, averaging a two-rebound increase per game compared to the 2023-24 season, while opponents shot below 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range. Prior to her time at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Williams spent three years as the head coach at Artesia High School in Lakewood, California. Previously, she served as an assistant coach at Centennial High School and had been an instructor at Scholarship Prep Charter School over the last five years, starting the school's first basketball team. In addition to her high school coaching experience, Williams has also served as a head coach for West Coast Elite Under Armour Girls Basketball on the AAU circuit since 2018. In that role, she has been the director of the Los Angeles Girls Team and served as an Elite 100 Prospect Camp Clinician.  Williams was a four-year letterwinner at Washington, where she appeared in 117 games for a Husky program which made a pair of postseason appearances in that span. She was a captain on the 2011-12 team which earned a berth in the WNIT and was also on Washington’s 2009-10 team which qualified for the WBI. Williams scored 500 points and had nearly 300 rebounds in her collegiate career. She also had a five-year professional playing career, with stops in the top leagues in France, Finland, Puerto Rico and Malta.   Williams earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Washington in 2012, and obtained her master’s degree in sport management from the University of San Francisco in 2023.