Ke’Sha Blanton has been named associate head coach for the Oakland women’s basketball team announced head coach Jeff Tungate on Thursday. Blanton comes to the Golden Grizzlies after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio).
“When I set out to find the next associate head women’s basketball coach at Oakland University, I came up with a list of ten things that the ideal candidate would bring to our program and Ke’Sha Blanton brings all ten,” said Tungate. “I cannot tell you how excited I am to add Ke’Sha to our family as she is one of the best recruiters I have ever met, has a very good basketball mind, cares deeply about the student-athletes under her watch and knows what it takes to win”, added Tungate. “She will serve as our recruiting coordinator, defensive coordinator and work with our perimeter players. This is a great hire, not just for our women’s basketball program, but for Oakland University.”
While at Miami (Ohio), Blanton helped guide the RedHawks to a 44-20 overall record and pair of Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) appearances. The team finished the 2018-19 camping with a 23-9 overall record and 13-5 Mid-American Conference (MAC) mark securing the program’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the 1980’s.
In 2017-18, the RedHawks finished 21-11 which was the largest improvement in the nation from the previous season in terms of total victories (nine more than 2016-17, 12-21).
“I just want to thank Coach Tungate and the Oakland administration for this amazing opportunity. Oakland has a great tradition, coaches and campus environment,” said Blanton. “Coach Tungate has a great vision of where the program is headed and I’m ready to get started and help this program in any way I can.”
Prior to Miami (Ohio), Blanton spent five seasons at Detroit Mercy as an assistant coach where she helped the Titans to a Horizon League Championship game appearance and 18-14 overall record during the 2016-17 season. Blanton also served as defensive coordinator, helping the Titans go from the bottom of the league to the top in field goal and 3-point field goal percentage against. In 2014-15, Blanton played a major role in the recruitment of Darianne Seward, who went on to garner Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors that same year.
In her first year at Detroit Mercy in 2012-13, she worked with the Horizon League preseason Player of the Year and three-time all-conference performer Rosie Reynolds, the school’s first student-athlete to post 1,000-plus points, 500-plus assists and 600-plus rebounds. Blanton also helped the team to a Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) tournament title as the top seed in the East Region in addition to three student-athletes earning All-Horizon League honors.
Prior to her time at Detroit Mercy, Blanton spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Florida State where she was a part of a staff that amassed 38 wins during her two-year tenure including a 24-8 mark in 2010-11 in which the Seminoles earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. She also worked with all-conference performers Cierra Bravard and current WNBA player Natasha Howard who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in double-doubles that year. In 2011, Blanton played a big role in coaching the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Christian Hunnicutt.
Blanton, a native of Toledo, Ohio, earned a Master of Science degree in sports administration from Florida State in 2012. She also graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in broadcast journalism from Toledo in 2009.
