West Texas A&M women’s basketball coach Kristen Mattio announced the hiring of Kristian Branson as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Kristian to our Lady Buff staff,” Mattio said. “What you will quickly find with Kristian is his ability to genuinely connect with just about anyone he comes into contact with. His passion for teaching the game and energy he will bring to the court will be vital to our continued success. He is a great communicator and will do a fantastic job with our on court development of our players. Kristian has a great eye for the game of basketball, and will be a perfect fit for teaching our style of play. I know he is eager to get to work and ready to make an impact on our program. We are very happy to have him on staff.”
Branson comes to Canyon after spending last season as the video coordinator for women’s basketball at Stephen F. Austin under former Lady Buff head coach Mark Kellogg as the team went 25-8 last season, losing in the conference tournament championship game. Branson was charged with video sharing and breakdown of games and practice at SFA, while evaluating opposing players, highlight tapes and handling official visit videos for recruits. He also worked with the post players for the Lady Jacks.
Prior to SFA, Branson worked as an assistant women’s basketball coach at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor helping guide his team to a 15-11 record, winning 11 of their final 13 games, and five players named all-conference in 2015-16. Branson worked under Mark Morefield, who was a former assistant at Baylor under Scott Drew.
In addition, he also has had stints as an assistant coach and junior varsity head coach at Vanguard College Preparatory, and head coach of the Centex Elite AAU Team, as well as the assistant coach at Live Oak Classical School. While coaching at the high school level in college, Branson coached four players who received college scholarships.
“There’s something about the winning tradition, culture, and pride of WT that makes it truly special,” Branson said. “I’ve been well aware of the history and success this program has had and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of the lady buff family. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity that Coach Mattio has given me and I’m ready to get to work.”
Branson is a native of Palmdale, Calif., where he played high school basketball at Quartz High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University in 2014 and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in mass communication from Stephen F. Austin.
Tagged with: Assistant Coach DII
