The Women's Basketball Coaches Association has named Gannon's Brittany Batts as the WBCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year.

 

One day after the Gannon women's basketball team advanced to the NCAA D-II Elite Eight, the WBCA announced the selection of Batts for the honor on Wednesday morning. Batts has been a key assistant for head coach Cleve Wright since 2021, and her contributions to the program have helped the team post an 88-14 record over those three seasons with two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

The Golden Knights are 35-2 and bound for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Mo., starting Monday. On Tuesday, Gannon defeated Fayetteville State 72-47 in the Atlantic Regional championship game and earned the No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight.

"I'm so happy for Brittany getting the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award," Wright said. "She's so deserving of this award – the work that she puts in, the way she cares for our players, the way she cares for our program. Of course, being an alumni, she is Gannon basketball all the way through."

Her main responsibility is working with the guards in every phase of the game. Off the court, she is involved with the student-athletes' academics as well as community service.

"She really has her hands in everything," Wright said. "At this level, it's so important to have somebody who will do anything it takes, and Brittany Batts is willing to do anything it takes."





Batts graduated from Gannon in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in sports management and a minor in advertising communication.

Upon graduation, Batts became a graduate assistant at Castleton University in Vermont from 2015-17 and then was an assistant coach at Bridgewater College in Virginia in 2017-18. She was a member of the coaching staff at Shepherd University from 2018-20 before spending the 2020-21 season with Division I Chicago State.

After that, she returned to Gannon, where she was a standout on the court for Gannon from 2011-15.

Batts was a three-year starter who appeared in 125 career games with 92 starts. She averaged 9.2 points over her career and finished with 1,152 points, good for 21st on Gannon's career list.

An outstanding 3-point shooter, Batts holds the top two season figures for 3-pointers made with 102 in 2012-13 and 93 in 2013-14. She ranks second in career 3-pointers made (286) and attempts (688) and is fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.416).

As a player, Batts helped the Golden Knights to a 102-24 record and four NCAA postseason appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013. That was the Knights' last appearance in the Elite Eight until this season.