K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has promoted assistant coach Ebony Gilliam to associate head coach for the 2024-25 season.
“Ebony has been an integral part of our success,” said Mittie about Gilliam. “She has continued to grow in the profession and has been involved in every area of our program in our time at Kansas State. I look forward to her continued growth and expanded role on the staff.”
Gilliam will enter her 11th season on Mittie’s staff at K-State in 2024-25. During her time in Manhattan, Gilliam has served as an assistant coach in two separate stints from 2014-17 and 2021-24. She assumed the reins as the program’s Director of Recruiting Operations from 2017-21, which saw the signings of current Wildcats Serena Sundell and the Glenn sisters, Jaelyn and Brylee.
Gilliam is a two-time recipient of Most Impactful Assistant Coaches by Silver Waves Media in 2022 and 2023.
“From my time as a student-athlete at TCU and my professional playing career and into the early stages of my coaching career, Coach Mittie has supported my growth and encouraged my continued development,” stated Gilliam on the promotion. “My family and I are blessed to call K-State home for all these years and I look forward to this expanded role and continued success for the Wildcat program.”
Prior to coming to Manhattan, she served on Mittie’s coaching staff for two seasons while he was at TCU and was also a four-year letterwinner as a player for Mittie with the Horned Frogs.
During her time at TCU, Gilliam was promoted to assistant coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 season and served two seasons as an assistant coach on Mittie’s staff in Fort Worth. Prior to her promotion, Gilliam served as the Horned Frogs’ director of operations for two seasons.
Before she returned to her alma mater, Gilliam spent four years as a high school teacher and head girls basketball coach in the Fort Worth area, including two seasons at area power Dunbar High School. She led the Wildcats to a 57-14 overall record in her tenure with a pair of District 7-4A championships and state playoff appearances. Gilliam was named district coach of the year, while leading the squad to a perfect 18-0 record in 7-4A play. Prior to her stint at Dunbar, she spent the previous two seasons as head coach at Trimble Tech High School.
A product of Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Gilliam, formerly Ebony Shaw, experienced one of the most successful playing careers in TCU history from 2000-04. At the conclusion of her playing career, she ranked tied for second in school history with 130 career games played and was eighth in starts with 87. She scored 1,156 points and finished her career ranked sixth on TCU’s all-time scoring list. Overall, she ranked among the top-10 players in 13 major career statistical categories.
During her playing career at TCU, Gilliam helped the Horned Frogs to the first four NCAA Tournament appearances in school history. The Frogs advanced to the second round in each trip to the tournament. In addition to the postseason appearances, Gilliam also helped TCU claim its first four conference titles in 2001 (WAC regular season and tournament), 2002 (Conference USA regular season) and 2003 (Conference USA tournament).
Following her time with TCU on the court, Gilliam played one year of professional basketball for Keflavik, Iceland. During her professional career, Gilliam helped her team capture the National Icelandic Cup Championship, while averaging 23 points per game, 9.5 rebounds and three steals a contest.
The Wildcats enter the 2024-25 season with the return of 10 letter winners, including four starters from last season’s 2024 NCAA Tournament squad. The Wildcats will be led by 2024 All-American center Ayoka Lee, who returns for her final season, senior guard and 2023 All-Big 12 First Team selection Sundell, and the senior duo of Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn.
The 10 returning letter winners were responsible for 85 percent of K-State’s scoring, 87 percent of the team’s rebounds and 81 percent of the team’s rebounding in the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats will also welcome transfers Temira Poindexter and Kennedy Taylor and redshirts Mikayla Parks and Alexis Hess and freshman Finley Ohnstad.
Tagged with: Big 12
