Utah State head women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard announced Wednesday the addition of Karlie Burris as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“We are lucky to have Karlie joining our staff,” Ard said. “She is an experienced recruiter with a lot of connections, not to mention the knowledge she will bring to the court. She loves coaching the defensive side of the game, which will pay off huge for our squad in the upcoming years. Her passion and energy toward the game are much like mine and that’s how I knew she was the best fit to complete our family.”
Burris joins the Aggies after spending three seasons (2017-20) as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, where she served as the recruiting coordinator, was in charge of the early offense and coached the forwards and centers. This past season, she helped the Titans lead the Big West Conference in rebounding with 37.8 boards per game. Two years ago, Burris helped Daeja Smith earn first all-conference honors. Smith went on to sign a pro contract to play in Greece during the summer of 2019. Burris also coached Amiee Book, who earned Big West Conference Sixth Player of the Year and Big West all-freshman team honors in 2018-19 and was named to the league’s second team in 2017-18.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Utah State family,” Burris said. “Coach Ard’s passion, energy and vision for Aggie women’s basketball is infectious, which speaks to the growing excitement surrounding the program. The players, fans and community will enjoy the fast-paced brand of basketball.”
Prior to her time at Cal State Fullerton, Burris was an assistant coach for five seasons (2012-17) at Northern Arizona. At NAU, Burris managed the defense and specialized in developing the play of the Lumberjacks’ guards and swing players. Burris helped NAU to three consecutive appearances in the Big Sky Championship Tournament (2015-17). She helped two players earn Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year honors and coached eight players to all-conference awards, while the team tallied 22 all-academic honors over five years, including a two-time Academic All-American. Burris also helped Amanda Frost earn all-Big Sky first-team honors and a spot on the College Sports Madness’ Mid-Major All-American team during the 2013-14 season.
Burris also served as the video coordinator and graduate assistant at Seattle University for one season (2011-12), where she was responsible for editing film and coordinating exchanges, and assisted in team travel and functions. Burris was also a tutor and mentor at Seattle University for student-athletes.
Burris also spent time as an assistant coach at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie, Ore., where she created practice plans and developed game strategy. Burris also worked as the director of recruitment for Absolutely Affordable Staffing for one year, where she was the lead recruiter in head hunting business executives in multiple industries.
Burris, a native of Tucson, Ariz., played for the University of Portland (2005-09), where she was named West Coast Conference honorable mention as a junior. She also was named to the WCC all-academic team during her time with the Pilots. Burris earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and history from Portland in 2009, and then went on to earn a master’s degree in sport administration and leadership from Seattle University in 2012.
