SUNY University at Albany Women's Basketball

The University at Albany and Director of Athletics Mark Benson have officially announced the hiring of Kelly Morrone as the next head coach of the Great Danes’ women’s basketball program. Morrone, who arrives in the Capital Region following a successful six years as the head coach at Merrimack College, takes the reins of a program established as a perennial contender in the America East.   “Kelly is a proven winner who has consistently demonstrated the ability to build strong programs at every level," said Benson. "Her talent for elevating programs was on full display as she helped lead Merrimack through the transition from Division II to Division I. Shortly after, she guided their move to the MAAC, achieving back-to-back semifinal appearances. Being named the 2026 MAAC Coach of the Year after just two seasons in a new league is a remarkable feat. We are incredibly excited to bring her leadership to the Great Danes."   Morrone’s arrival follows an impactful six-year tenure at Merrimack, where she successfully helped navigate the program following its elevation to Division I. During her time in the Northeast Conference (NEC), she guided the Warriors to back-to-back semifinal appearances, coached 10 NEC All-Conference selections, and secured the program's first-ever Division I postseason victory and WNIT berth.    Following the program's transition into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Morrone sustained that positive momentum by leading the Warriors to back-to-back conference semifinal appearances in her team’s first two years in the league. Her leadership earned her MAAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honors this past season after she steered her squad to a 19-win campaign and a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.    Under her guidance, Merrimack saw significant individual accolades in 2026, including MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Paloma Garcia, who led the conference in steals (75) and steals per game (2.68). Morrone also developed an additional trio of postseason honorees in unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection Madison Roman, Third Team selection Lydia Melaschenko, and unanimous All-Defensive Team selection Oralye Kiefer.   “I am incredibly honored and excited to accept the position of head women’s basketball coach at the University at Albany,” said Morrone. “I want to sincerely thank President Havidán Rodríguez, Director of Athletics Mark Benson, Deputy Athletic Director for Administration Cara White, and the entire senior leadership team for their vision, investment, and genuine excitement about the future of this program.” Morrone added “I’ve long admired the tradition and pride of the Great Danes, and I am deeply grateful to be entrusted with this important opportunity. It is a privilege to lead a program with such strong institutional support and a clear commitment to excellence. “I look forward to building meaningful relationships within the campus and community, developing our student-athletes on and off the court, and competing at the highest level. We are ready to get to work and represent UAlbany with pride, toughness, and integrity.”   Morrone’s coaching pedigree also includes a highly decorated run at John Carroll University. During her seven years there, she revitalized the program, securing 117 victories and multiple conference championships while consistently keeping the team within the Top-25 in the national polls. Her efforts resulted in three NCAA Tournament berths and two Coach of the Year accolades, cementing her reputation as a top-tier program builder.   “On behalf of the entire University at Albany community, we are excited to welcome Kelly Morrone as head coach of our women's basketball team,” said Havidán Rodríguez, President of the University at Albany. “Coach Morrone has a strong track record of leading student-athletes to success on the court, in the classroom, and in life. I am confident she will be an excellent addition to our Great Dane community."   Before arriving at John Carroll, Morrone built a robust Division I resume with assistant coaching and recruiting coordinator roles at William & Mary (2012-13), Rhode Island (2010-12), and Davidson (2008-10). She began her coaching career at the University at Buffalo, where she served as an assistant coach from 2005-08.    Before transitioning to the sidelines, Morrone was a standout leader and elite perimeter threat at the University of South Carolina. A three-year captain for the Gamecocks, she steered the program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2002 and a second-round berth in 2003. Her name remains prominent in the South Carolina record books, where she ranks third all-time in career three-point percentage, makes, and attempts. A four-year SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Morrone earned her degree in sport and entertainment management.   Morrone inherits a program defined by a standard of excellence and a history of dominance in the America East. The foundation was solidified under Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who guided the Great Danes to five consecutive conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament berths, including the program’s first ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2016. Success continued under Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, who added another America East title to the program’s trophy case in 2017, and most recently through Colleen Mullen, who led UAlbany to four straight 20-win seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022. Morrone now takes the lead of a flagship program that remains one of the premier destinations for women’s basketball in the Northeast.   Morrone will be formally introduced as UAlbany’s head women’s basketball coach in a press conference at Broadview Center at a later date.  

"Lux is a terrific coach and teacher dedicated to player development and building meaningful relationships within the team and campus community," said head coach Kelly Morrone. "She has a creative basketball mind and has done a tremendous job leading defensive strategies. Her competitive energy and love for basketball is evident and captivating."   Victoria Lux makes her way to the Capital Region with seven years of coaching experience in the NCAA. Most recently, she spent two seasons at Merrimack College as the defensive coordinator coach, specializing in post player development, for head coach Kelly Morrone. As a coach on the Merrimack staff, she helped the team to back-to-back semifinal appearances and the program's first-ever postseason tournament (WNIT). While a Warrior, she coached Madison  Roman to First Team All-Conference honors after 18 double-doubles in the 2025-26 season. She also developed Oralye Kiefer, an All-Defensive Team honoree who is nationally ranked in blocks.    Prior to Merrimack, Lux spent one season at Cornell and one season at Dartmouth. In both seasons, she coached one Academic All-Ivy League selection - Emily Pape (Cornell) and Emma Koch (Dartmouth). Before joining Division I, she helped coach Kamsi Nwogu to First Team All-Conference honors at MIT after having started as a graduate assistant at Regis College.    Lux is a Bentley University graduate with one Division II Final Four appearance (2015). A 1,000-point scorer and top-five rebounder in program history, she was named all-conference twice (2018-19). 

"Jada is one of the most respected individuals in the business," said head coach Kelly Morrone. "Her reputation revolves around professionalism, integrity, and doing things the right way. She is going to make an excellent General Manager for our program, strategically aligning our goals and resources along with providing incredible mentorship for our staff and players."   Jada Pierce joins the Great Danes after a successful head coaching stop at Niagara University. At the helm of the Purple Eagles, Pierce rebuilt a program that had gone 10 years without a winning season. The 2022-23 season proved to be the team's second consecutive winning season, a feat achieved for the first time in 18 seasons. Pierce led the Purple Eagles to two program records - 18 single-season wins and and 16 single-season MAAC wins. She went on to have a 21-win season in 2023-24, the first 20-win season in program history. The program's first postseason win (WNIT) in 2023-24 came just one year after its first postseason (WNIT) appearance.   Throughout 11 seasons at Niagara, Pierce recruited and coached 13 MAAC All-Conference selections, including one Player of the Year, one Sixth Player of the Year, and one Rookie of the Year.   Having started her coaching career in 1997, Pierce is a tenured NCAA women's basketball coach with two stops as head coach (Cheney, 20024-06). Prior to Niagara, she spent three seasons at Saint Joseph's and two seasons at Army. Pierce also had stops at Mount St. Mary's, UMass, Marist, UMass Lowell, Delaware, and St. Michael's College.