Utah State head women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard announced the hiring of McKenzie Mangino as an assistant coach on Tuesday.
“McKenzie fits exactly what we need to finalize the staff dynamics,” Ard said. “She is a hard worker that is passionate about being at Utah State. We are excited to add her to the family and I can’t wait to work alongside her.”
Mangino spent five seasons at Hawai’I Pacific University, joining HPU in 2017 as a graduate assistant before being promoted to head assistant in 2019.
Mangino helped lead the Sharks to a 13-1 overall record in the 2020-21 COVID season. Four of the Sharks starters earned All-PacWest Hawai’i honors and two players were named All-American.
In 2019-20, the program reached new heights as the Sharks were 22-0 in PacWest play, 29-1 overall, ranked first in the West Region, No. 3 in the nation and on a 25-game winning streak when the COVID-19 virus ended the season. Along with team success, five different players earned All-PacWest recognition with two players earning All-American recognition.
Mangino began her coaching career at Santa Rosa Junior College in 2015, where she served as an assistant coach to both the women’s and men’s program.
The native of Ukiah, California, Mangino attended Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa. She began her collegiate playing career at Santa Rosa Junior College where she was a part of back-to-back Big 8 Conference Championships, which earned her a scholarship to the University of Hawaii-Hilo. At Hilo, Mangino and her team earned a bid to the PacWest Conference Tournament as a junior and she served as team captain her senior season.
Mangino earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UH Hilo in 2015 and added a master’s in communications from Hawai’i Pacific in 2019.
“First and foremost, I want to thank coach Ard for this opportunity that I am extremely excited and grateful for,” Ard said. “This program is full of passion, competitiveness and commitment. The culture of excellence that coach Ard has built, along with the staff that she has assembled, is something that I am honored to be a part of. I can’t wait to be in Logan and will see you soon Aggie Nation.”
