Monday, April 26, 2010

NASHVILLE, TENN. - - Belmont University Director of Athletics Mike Strickland announced Monday the hiring of Brittney Ezell (ee-ZELL) as the third head women's basketball coach in program history.

"We are delighted that Brittney has accepted our offer to lead Belmont women's basketball," Strickland said. "Brittney has distinguished herself both as a coach and a player, and we believe her enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to the student-athlete ideal are perfect fits at Belmont."

Ezell comes to Belmont after spending the previous two seasons as head coach at the University of Montevallo. Inheriting a Falcon program that recorded one winning season in its previous 12 years, Ezell directed Montevallo to a 14-13 record in 2009-10. The Falcons also ranked second in the Peach Belt Conference in scoring defense. Prior to Montevallo, Ezell spent three seasons as head coach at Okaloosa-Walton Junior College (now Northwest Florida State College) in Niceville, Fla. The Lady Raiders went 57-28 under Ezell's watch, which included an appearance in the 2006 NJCAA Regional Tournament. During her tenure, Ezell developed 14 All-Panhandle Conference performers, 12 of whom would go on to sign national letters of intent with NCAA Division I schools. The Lady Raiders also had 12 Academic All-Conference honorees.

Ezell's coaching career began at the University of Alabama, where she spent five years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She was credited with delivering back-to-back Top 15 ranked recruiting classes for the Tide, with four guards developing into All-SEC players.

Ezell was a four-year starting point guard for the Tide, helping lead the team to a 95-34 record and four consecutive NCAA Division I "Sweet Sixteen" appearances from 1995-98. She ranks in the Top 20 in career scoring, with 1,022 points and is second all-time in career assists (620) and games started (114). She was a Second Team All-SEC selection in 1998 and was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team in 1996. In 1998, Ezell was a candidate for the Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the top point guard in the country and was named to the inaugural WBCA/Honda All-Star Game for the nation's top 20 players. She also was invited to the WNBA Rookie Combine in Chicago.