Kelly Morrone, an eight-year veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, has been named the head coach of the John Carroll University women’s basketball program.
Following stints as an assistant coach at Buffalo, Davidson, Rhode Island and most recently William & Mary, Morrone is getting her first opportunity to oversee her own program.
"Kelly has coaching experiences and clearly outlined philosophies and principles that will transfer well to the environment at John Carroll," said Laurie Massa, the Director of Varsity Athletics and Recreation at John Carroll. "She is committed to leading our program to a sustainable level of success through player development and recruiting, while growing beyond the gym with community outreach, service, and alumni engagement. She has recruited Ohio and the Cleveland area while at previous institutions, and understands the priority of academics in the process."
"She has a reputation as a hard worker who relates well on many levels. Her former boss and players speak to her knowledge, sense of humor, and passion for the game and her team. We are excited to have Kelly lead our program in pursuit of Ohio Athletic Conference championships."
Morrone made her collegiate coaching debut in 2005 as an assistant at the University of Buffalo. She spent three seasons at Buffalo, guiding a defense that finished second in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense in 2007-08.
From 2008-10, Morrone was the top assistant at Davidson College. Her responsibilities included oversight of recruiting, player development, strength and conditioning and scouting.
in 2011-12, Morrone was part of the staff at the University of Rhode Island. During her tenure at Rhode Island, she served as the Rams’ Recruiting Coordinator where she spearheaded the 2012 class of six signees, including a national top-100 player. On the court, Morrone was the perimeter coach for the Rams as her duties included offensive-coordinator, skill instruction, game preparation, scouting and organizing pre and post-season workouts.
Last year, Morrone joined the staff at William & Mary, where she was reunited with Debbie Taylor, the coach that recruited her as a player at the University of South Carolina.
"To be given the opportunity to accept such a distinguished appointment at a school with the reputation of John Carroll University is an honor," said Morrone. "I am eager to bring energy, passion, and a commitment to excellence to both the sideline and the program in its entirety. The campus wide pride for the University and Blue Streak athletics was tangible in just the short time that I spent in University Heights. I could not be more enthusiastic about leading this team whose culture will be rooted in just that, pride."
A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Morrone attended the University of South Carolina and was a four-year letterwinner and three-year captain on the Lady Gamecocks basketball team. During her playing career, she help guide the Gamecocks to two NCAA Tournament appearances, which included an overall record of 25-7 and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2002. South Carolina finished the 2001-02 campaign ranked sixth in the nation.
Morrone graduated from South Carolina in 2003 with a degree in sport and entertainment management. She minored in business and was a four-year Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll team representative.
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