Briar Cliff women’s basketball head coach Mike Power has named Bailey Morris as the next assistant women’s basketball coach at Briar Cliff, starting with the 2017-18 season. Morris was with Dakota Wesleyan last season as a graduate assistant coach, helping the Tigers go 27-7 overall and 15-5 in the GPAC to finish second in the conference. Morris also helped DWU qualify for the NAIA national tournament.
“I can’t thank Dakota Wesleyan enough for giving me the opportunity to work with their athletic department, coaching staff, and players this year. They are a special group who I will miss working with on a daily basis,” stated coach Morris. “However, I am extremely excited to take on this new role and responsibility at Briar Cliff. I have followed the GPAC for a long time and have a tremendous amount of respect for the successful teams coach Power has produced year after year. From playing at Concordia to coaching at DWU, I’ve witnessed the culture of the Briar Cliff basketball programs and am excited to be a part of it.”
Morris assisted with basketball operation on game day and was also in charge of film exchange and breakdown at Dakota Wesleyan. She served as the junior varsity coach and led the team to an 11-4 record. Morris was also tasked with contacting recruits, scheduling visits, conducting campus tours and traveling to high school games to watch recruits.
“I would like to welcome in to our BC family a great addition to our coaching staff in Bailey Morris,” remarked coach Power. “Bailey has had a great basketball career and I believe she will have the same kind of success as a coach. I love her passion for the game and willingness to work to be great.”
Prior to Dakota Wesleyan, Morris was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma Wesleyan for the 2015-16 season where she held many of the same responsibilities she had at DWU. The Eagles were 17-14 overall that season and were 11-9 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. Morris has also helped at the Maya Moore Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Morris assisted the Ultimate Hoops staff and coaches conduct drills for girls ages 10-17 and she also helped with pre and post-academy operations. Morris also assisted the WNBA superstar with autographs and pictures.
Morris is plenty familiar with the GPAC after her playing days at Concordia as well. She rewrote the record books at Concordia, finishing her career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,054 points. Morris also finished her career second in steals (394) and fourth in assists (502). As a senior, Morris grabbed numerous accolades, being named the NAIA Division II Player of the Year, the Omaha World Herald Female State College Player of the Year, All-American First Team, First Team All-GPAC and she was the back-to-back GPAC Player of the Year. She helped the Bulldogs go 35-3 overall and 18-2 in conference play during her senior season, advancing all the way to the NAIA Championship game before falling to Morningside 59-57 in the title game.
Morris will begin work at Briar Cliff on June 1 and will replace Angie Kristensen after coach Kristensen has resigned to pursue other career options.
