Utah State head women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard announced the hiring of Ross James as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator on Friday.
“I’m so excited to have Ross joining the staff,” Ard said. “He brings over 10 years of coaching experience with him as well as a ton of recruiting connections. His excitement about being an Aggie was evident from the first conversation and has only grown since then. Our student-athletes are really going to love having this guy on the sidelines.”
James joins the Aggies after spending the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart University where he helped coach Maiya Bergdorf to the NEC all-rookie team. During his time at Sacred Heart, James served as the team’s academic liaison and handled post development, recruiting, scheduling, scouting, and offensive strategy.
He previously had four successful seasons as the head coach of the women’s basketball program at Mary Baldwin University where he led the Fighting Squirrels to three-consecutive USA South Athletic Conference tournaments and elevated the team as a favorite in the 2019-20 preseason poll.
James guided the team to a 15-win turnaround in 2018-19 (17-10), marking the program’s best record in recent history, after the team posted a 2-23 record in the season prior. He was named the USA South Coach of the Year in 2018-19 and was selected the D3 Hoops South Region Coach of the Year. James coached three players to earned all-conference honors, including 2018-19 USA South Rookie of the Year Leah Calhoun.
Prior to his time at Mary Baldwin, James spent four years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lafayette College. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas Woman’s University after an undergraduate playing career at Millsaps College.
“I am thrilled to be joining Aggie nation and the Utah State family,” James said. “I’m excited to work with Coach Ard and the rest of the team, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to an incredible program. Coach Ard’s love and knowledge of the game as well as care for her players and staff are some of the reasons why it’s a privilege to be a member of the Aggie team. I can’t wait to hit the ground running.”
