Several Owls huddle near the basket against Shorter. Photo Courtesy of KSU Athletics
At 3:26p.m. on Monday, Kennesaw State University confirmed Chattanooga associate head coach Tianni Kelly was hired as the next head coach of its women’s basketball program.
“To be named head coach at Kennesaw State University is the fulfillment of so many prayers that have been prayed,” said Kelly in her initial statement. “I give all glory to God for this opportunity, without Him I would not be in this position. Thank you so much to President Kat Schwaig, Milton Overton, Jessica Reo and Tierra Thompson for believing in me and trusting me to lead this program.”
In her two years at Chattanooga, Kelly helped lead the Mocs to a second-round appearance in the 2025 WNIT.
Prior to her time with Chattanooga, Kelly served as the head coach of the University of Charleston, her alma mater.
During this time, she posted an overall record of 85-32 and 59-21 in Mountain East Conference play, grabbing three consecutive NCAA Division II tournament appearances, including back-to-back sweet 16 appearances and a trip to the elite eight in 2021.
Kelly was also on staff as an assistant coach with Valdosta State, Florida Southern College, and Charleston prior to her head coaching stint with the program.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tianni Kelly as our new head coach,” Director of Athletics Milton Overton said. “She owns a proven track record of winning as a head coach and a genuine ability to connect with and develop student-athletes. Coach Kelly represents exactly what we envisioned for our program. We look forward to watching her build a championship culture here at Kennesaw State. We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Parker Executive Search for their work in this process. We received tremendous interest in the position, and we are excited for Coach Kelly to hit the ground running during an exciting time in our school’s history.”
