West Virginia University women’s basketball head coach Mark Kellogg has announced the hiring of two assistant coaches for the 2023-24 season.
Kellogg welcomes assistant coaches Jessica Grayson and Erin Grant to Morgantown.
“We are thrilled to add Jessica and Erin to our women’s basketball staff,” Kellogg said. “They are both extremely passionate about building relationships, developing talent, and ultimately making those around them better.
“Jessica and Erin are tremendous at connecting with student-athletes and helping them achieve success at the highest level. Both coaches have recruited the entire country and have contacts from coast to coast. WVU women’s basketball got better with the addition of these two coaches. Let’s Go!”
Jessica Grayson | Assistant Coach
Grayson comes to West Virginia after serving as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Missouri Kansas City last season and has familiarity with the Big 12 following a stint as the Assistant Coach at Oklahoma State University during the 2021-22 season.
Overall, she brings seventeen years of collegiate coaching experience. Most notably, she has prior experience working with coach Kellogg, serving as the Assistant Head Coach at Stephen F. Austin University from 2016-21. There she helped guide the Ladyjacks to five consecutive 23-plus win seasons and a 122-31 overall record and a 76-12 mark in conference play.
“Jessica and I have worked together previously for five years and I’m so excited to be back on the same team,” Kellogg said. “Coach Grayson was instrumental in our success at SFA. Her passion and energy is second to none and she is truly one of the most genuine people you will ever meet.
“She will elevate our program in every way and our players will love getting to know her. I’m excited to see the impact Coach Grayson leaves on WVU basketball.”
In those five years, Stephen F. Austin qualified for four post-season tournaments, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament, two WNIT appearances and a WBI appearance. The Ladyjacks won one Southland Regular Season and one SLC Tournament title as well as earning the No. 12-seed at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The seed was the highest for an SLC team since 2011.
“I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside Coach Kellogg again and to coach this talented group of young women,” Grayson said. “I know that wearing the old gold and blue on the court and in front of the best fans in the country is going to be an incredible experience.
“I’ve touched down in Almost Heaven and am excited to make Morgantown my home. We are going to work extremely hard to make it to the national stage and compete in Big 12 Championships. Let’s go, Mountaineers!”
Grayson’s mentorship over the years developed one All-Big 12 selection, 23 All-SLC performers, one SLC Player of the Year, one SLC Newcomer of the Year, one SLC Tournament MVP, three Missouri Valley All-Conference selections, four Ohio Valley Conference selections and four All-Gulf South Conference performers.
Before Stephen F. Austin, Grayson made stops as an assistant coach at Illinois State (2013-16), Austin Peay State (2010-12), and Tennessee Martin (2007-10), along with serving as a graduate assistant at Valdosta State (2005-07).
At Austin Peay, Grayson helped her team to a 50-12 overall record. The mark includes a 30-2 record in the Ohio Valley Conference where the Governors achieved two NCAA Tournament appearances and two OVC Regular Season and Tournament titles.
Grayson has recruited and coached 40 all-conference players during her career while pushing 16 of her players to the 1,000-point mark in their careers.
The McMinnville, Tenn. native played basketball at Columbia State Community College, earning NJCAA All-American honors. She then transferred to Austin Peay State University, where she graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Human Performance.
At Austin Peay, Grayson helped her team to a 50-12 overall record, including a 30-2 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play. Her play pushed the Governors to two NCAA Tournament appearances, and two OVC Regular Season and Tournament titles.
Grayson also earned her master’s degree in health and physical science at Valdosta State.
Erin Grant | Assistant Coach
Grant comes to Morgantown after serving as the Assistant Coach at the University of Arizona for the past two seasons. There she helped the Wildcats to its 9th and 10th NCAA Tournament berth in program history. In both seasons the team advanced to at least the second round while finishing with 20-plus wins in both campaigns.
“Erin is one of the premier coaches in women’s basketball and she has a great understanding of the Big 12 and knows what it takes to achieve at the highest level,” Kellogg said. “Coach Grant is an exceptional basketball coach on the court, a tremendous recruiter and her experience as a player at the highest level will be a great asset for our team.”
Last season, Arizona ranked third in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage, hitting 43.8% of its shots, and fourth in scoring offense with an average of 74.1 points per game. Four Wildcats earned All-Pac 12 honors.
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside coach Mark Kellogg,” Grant said. “He is a proven winner and has elevated all the programs he has touched. I am excited to be in Almost Heaven!”
In her two years at USC, Grant coached two young stars in the Pac-12 in Endiya Rogers and Alissa Pili. As freshmen in the 2019-20 season, Rogers and Pili were the team’s two top scorers averaging a combined 29 points per game while Pili was named the 2020 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. As sophomores they combined to average 26 points per game as Rogers was named All-Pac-12 and Pili was honorable mention All-Pac-12.
Grant also was a major part in securing one of the best 2021 recruiting classes in the nation, helping bring in two McDonald’s All-Americans and the No. 7 class in the country.
Grant had an impressive playing career as a standout point guard, earning All-America honors while at Texas Tech before being selected 39th in the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. She also got early international experience as a member of the 2005 USA Basketball World University Games team, which won gold in Turkey. While playing at Texas Tech, the Arlington native was a two-time All-Big 12 First Team selection and was the 2003 Big 12 co-Freshman of the Year. She also was a three-time All-Academic First Team honoree.
As a pro, Grant was drafted by the Seattle Storm in 2006 before playing overseas where she was named team MVP of Stockholm 08, helping the team win a Swedish championship. She played the 2008 season in the WNBA with the Houston Comets.
After concluding her professional playing career, Grant was an assistant at UT Arlington for four seasons (2008-11), helping the program reach the 2009 WNIT. Grant went on to serve as an assistant at Memphis for four seasons (2013-16) in addition to spending three seasons as an assistant at New Mexico (2012, 2017-18) before landing back at her alma mater, Texas Tech as recruiting coordinator.
Grant graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 2005 before earning her Master’s in Business Administration from TTU in 2006.
In 2018, Grant was inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame for her prestigious playing career in Lubbock. She set the Texas Tech program record for career assists (844) and scored 1,108 points while leading the Lady Raiders to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the sweet sixteen in 2005.
