Allen University and Director of Athletics Jasher Cox are pleased to welcome Olivia Gaines as the Yellow Jackets’ new Women’s Basketball Head Coach.
Gaines arrives at Allen after most recently spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Georgia Southern. Prior to her stop in Statesboro this past season, Gaines served as the head coach at Richard Bland College, an NJCAA institution in Petersburg, Virginia, where she led the team in their inaugural season to an NJCAA Division II National Runner-Up finish and a 29-3 overall record.
“Allen has been my dream job for a long time, and I am looking forward to continuing my career in my home state,” said Gaines. “I would like to thank our Director of Athletics Jasher Cox and President Dr. McNealy for believing in me as they are leading Allen University in the right direction. The culture is there but winning consistently has been the missing piece and that will soon change. I am overwhelmed with joy but prepared for the job.”
No stranger to South Carolina, in the two seasons prior to her time at RBC, Gaines served as the head coach at USC Salkehatchie in Allendale, S.C. During her time leading the junior college program, Gaines was named Region 10 Coach of the Year and led the Lady Indians to a 20-2 overall mark during the 2020-21 campaign. Before taking her first collegiate head coaching position, Gaines spent time as an assistant coach at Vassar College (NCAA-DIII) and NCAA Division II Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NCAA-DII), and as a high school head coach at Andrew Jackson High School (SC), Fort Dorchester High School (SC), and Cross High School (SC).
“Coach Gaines is the perfect match for our university, its student-athletes, and I am delighted to welcome her back to Columbia,” said Allen Director of Athletics Jasher Cox. “We were highly impressed by her success in revitalizing programs at previous institutions and her consistent ability to recruit and nurture exceptional talent. Additionally, her remarkable achievements as a two-time SEC Champion and National Champion will undoubtedly inspire our young women to strive for excellence in the years to come.”
Gaines will now be coaching in the same city as her former head coach in Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. Gaines spent two seasons playing for the Gamecocks, winning the 2014 SEC Regular Season Championship and the 2015 SEC Tournament Title while advancing to the 2015 NCAA Division I Tournament Final Four. Before spending her final two seasons at South Carolina, Gaines had an illustrious two-year career at Louisburg College (NC). The 2013 National Junior College Player of the Year, Gaines led Louisburg to a NJCAA Division II national title in 2013 after averaging 18.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Gaines was also given NJCAA All-American honors that season.
The Chester, S.C. native graduated from Louisburg College in 2013 with an associate degree in sociology, then went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in sociology from South Carolina in 2015. A 2011 graduate of Chester Senior High School, Gaines was an All-State selection in her final high school season.
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