Following a nationwide search, the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy has chosen Markell Cox as their next head coach of the Eutectics Women’s Basketball program. Cox comes to UHSP from Bluefield University (Bluefield, Va.) where he has been the head women’s coach for the past two seasons. Bluefield University, like UHSP, competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) while the Rams are part of the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). The Rams were 4-23 (4-18 AAC) last year and Cox departs Bluefield with a two-year record of 19-37 (18-28 AAC). He led Bluefield to their first overall winning season since 2016-17 with a 15-14 mark in 2022-23.
“UHSP was the right fit from the first conversations with the coaches, administrators as well as AD Harter”, said Cox upon landing the position with the Eutectics. “Everyone made me feel at home and I was looking for a department who is passionate about the student-athlete experience as well as winning. I felt that with the direction that this department is headed, it was a perfect time to join the team and be a part of something special.” The Eutectics were in search of a new women’s head coach after former head coach Jeff Reis stepped down in January of the recently completed season. Assistant Head Coach Jillian Segura finished out the 2023-24 season as the Interim Head Coach as the Eutectics posted a 16-14 mark overall and 10-8 in the American Midwest Conference.
During his final month at Bluefield, Cox began serving as a coach at the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Rock Hill, S.C. There he selected up to 400 players from the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 for the Individual Pathway at women’s academies. It was also there that he obtained his USA Basketball Gold Coach license.
He will take over a team at UHSP that will see a number of key long-time players in the program depart following the 2023-24 season. Cox says his experience in the recruiting world will be a big assets with his new program moving forward, “I feel that UHSP brings a very unique challenge and advantage recruiting. My experience in the Midwest is what initially peaked my interest in the position. Being a former coach in a close conference and having spent years recruiting this region, I felt like I could have success in recruiting right away. With, the program coming off of a successful season as well as receiving national notoriety, I felt the time was now to usher in a new brand of Eutectic Women’s Basketball. It will take time to build it, but my goal in my time here is to eventually compete for a conference championship and reach the national stage. We will attract high academic student-athletes who are already career focused and I think that is an advantage for our program. We want to attract intelligent young women with discipline and integrity who also desire to win in the classroom as well as on the court.”
Cox offers 12 years of dedicated involvement in collegiate athletics on the NCAA and NAIA levels, including eight years of successful head coaching experience. He boasts skills in navigating the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics, with specific expertise in NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) committee participation while he also served on a national committee for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association representing the AAC as the conference captain. Prior to his two years at Bluefield, Cox spent three seasons as head coach at Cincinnati Christian University (2017-2020). He came to Cincinnati after a two-year stint as Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach and Head Women’s Golf Coach at Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio. Cox has also had coaching stops in Dayton, Ohio as head coach of the Dayton Lady Hoop Stars U17 (AAU) team, Springfield, Ohio at Clark State Community College where he was the women’s head coach and Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, Ill. as the Assistant Women’s head coach.
As for having to relocate back to the midwest after seeing his coaching path take him mostly from the midwest in a more eastern direction over the years to his current location in Virginia, Cox says, “This move is special. I have considered St. Louis a home away from home for sometime now. The opportunity to play in front of this amazing fan base in this great sports city is unmatched. Also being closer to home for my family to attend games means the world to me. I’m ready to get started in creating a culture of excellence in our program.”
Cox is a native of Memphis, Tenn. and attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Business Education in 2013.
https://eutecticsports.com/sports/wbkb/2024-25/releases/20240604h75p12
Tagged with: NAIA
