Memphis women’s basketball head coach Alex Simmons announced the promotion of Brea Elmore from graduate assistant to assistant coach and the hiring of Garner Small as assistant coach.
Elmore joined the Tigers as a graduate assistant ahead of the 2024-25 season. She played for the Blue & Gray from 2014-18, finishing her career with 1,068 points, 312 rebounds, 251 assists, 142 steals and 137 three-point field goals made.
“I am very excited to promote Brea to an assistant coach. Not only is she an alum of Memphis women’s basketball, but she has an undeniable passion for the game and winning,” Simmons said. “She is a tireless worker who will have a big role in our guard play and offensive game plan. I am looking forward to working closely with Brea and am excited to see her grow.”
A 2016-17 All-Conference third team member, Elmore led the team with 15.3 points per game while scoring in double figures 24 times during her senior season. She played professionally for five seasons overseas in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Bosnia.
Hailing from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Elmore graduated with her bachelor’s degree in communications from Memphis in 2018.
Small comes to Bluff City after three seasons at UT Martin, where he served as an assistant coach. Focusing on defensive philosophy and player development, he oversaw the development of six All-OVC nominees. In 2023-24, the Skyhawks were second in the conference with 58 points allowed per game and were top three in opponent field goal percentage from both three-point range and inside the arc.
He joined the Skyhawks after spending four seasons at Gardner-Webb under Simmons. As associate head coach during the 2021-22 campaign, the Runnin’ Bulldogs went 13-5 in the Big South and reached the conference tournament semifinal.
“Garner is a great addition to this program because of his experience and his familiarity with the system and program,” Simmons said. “In his four years on my staff, we were able to do some special things together, including our defensive game plan and his work ethic with players on the court. Garner was pivotal in creating a culture of a championship mentality. I am excited for him and his family to join our Memphis family and can’t wait to run it back.”
During his tenure with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, the squad posted a 61-54 overall record while going 46-27 during Big South play. Prior to his tenure at Gardner-Webb, he spent the 2017-18 season as the video coordinator at Ole Miss, where Simmons was an assistant coach.
His previous coaching stops also include a season as an assistant coach at Claredon College in Texas and two years as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for the UT Martin men’s basketball program from 2014-16.
Before joining the Skyhawks, Small was an assistant coach at his alma mater Olivet College in 2013-14 after averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a senior.
Small graduated from Olivet College in 2014 with a bachelor’s of science. He later earned a master’s in business administration from UT Martin in 2016.
Tagged with: American Athletic Conference
