Head women’s basketball coach Danielle Santos Atkinson announced the addition of Yolanda Cole as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Thursday.
Cole brings 16 years of Division I coaching experience to Hofstra, and arrives in Hempstead after serving as the Associate Head Coach at Recruiting Coordinator at Sacred Heart University. Cole began her tenure with the Pioneers as an assistant coach in 2014-15 and was responsible for recruiting, scouting, community outreach, and guard development, and was eventually promoted to Associate Head Coach in June 2021.
“I’m so excited to welcome Yolanda to our staff,” said Santos Atkinson. “Yolanda brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience which will be an invaluable asset to our program. She has recruited top prospects, developed all-conference pro players, and has helped in claiming a regular season championship at Sacred Heart. I am excited to hit the ground running as we strive to reach and exceed our goals this season.”
While at Sacred Heart, Cole guided the Pioneers to three Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) appearances (2016, 2017, 2019), a 2015-16 Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship, and mentored 15 All-Northeast Conference selections and three Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association honorees. The Pioneers posted a .720 winning percentage in the Northeast Conference while Cole was on staff.
Prior to Sacred Heart, Cole spent two seasons as an assistant at Delaware State University where she aided three guards to All-MEAC honors. In addition to her on-court responsibilities, she served as the scouting coordinator, was responsible for scheduling, and was a liaison to the student-athlete academic center.
Cole also put in a five-year stint at Florida Atlantic University, where she helped bring the Owls to a 13th place finish in 2007-08 to a third-place finish and WNIT appearance in 2011-12. She guided one student-athlete to Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors while leading four student-athletes to All-Sun Belt Conference accolades.
Prior to her time at FAU, Cole spent time on the Central Connecticut State University staff and was also the assistant coach at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Cole graduated from the University of Michigan with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and was the head manager for the Wolverines women’s basketball team. As an undergraduate student, Cole worked as a camp instructor at the girls’ basketball camp and went on to serve as the women’s basketball assistant camp director.
