COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball has added Ashleen Bracey to its staff as an assistant coach, Robin Pingeton announced Monday. A former player and graduate assistant under Pingeton, Bracey comes to Mizzou with more than five years of coaching experience.
“We are beyond excited to have Ashleen join our staff,” Pingeton said. “She is going to be a fantastic addition. I have known Ashleen for more than 11 years and have always been so impressed with her work ethic as well as her basketball IQ. She is a high-character, high-integrity individual who is very passionate about the game. She is without a doubt an up-and-coming star in this profession.”
Bracey joins the Tigers’ staff after three seasons as an assistant at UAB, where she helped guide the Blazers to 49 victories in that span. There, she served as the recruiting coordinator and played a major role in player development on and off the court for a program that produced its highest team GPA in a decade during the 2015-16 campaign. In Bracey’s time spent with UAB, the Blazers established a reputation for playing gritty defense. UAB led Conference USA in scoring defense last season, limiting opponents to just 57.2 points per game.
Bracey will continue having a significant hand in recruiting efforts at Mizzou while assisting with player development and mentoring. With more than 10 years playing and coaching at a high level under her belt, she will also be able to use her expertise to aid in scouting upcoming opponents for the Tigers throughout the season.
“I’m extremely fortunate for the opportunity to work for my former college coach, Robin Pingeton,” Bracey said. “The entire staff and the team are like family to me. I am blessed and honored to be a part of this program again. I am ready to jump right in, roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
The ties between Pingeton and Bracey date back to 2006, when Bracey chose to play college basketball for Pingeton at Illinois State. The duo helped the Redbirds become a consistent power in the Missouri Valley Conference. During Bracey’s playing career, Illinois State claimed three MVC Championships, clinched an NCAA Tournament berth in 2008 and advanced to the WNIT Final Four in 2009 and 2010.
As a senior, she was named team captain by Pingeton and engineered the Redbirds’ third consecutive 20-win season. Bracey led Illinois State in scoring with 14.7 points per contest and secured both All-MVC First Team honors and MVC All-Defensive Team recognition.
Upon graduation, Bracey signed a contract with Das Anos Liosia, a professional squad in Athens, Greece. She played a season with them before deciding to join the coaching ranks and immediately got a chance as an assistant coach at Eureka (Ill.) College. In August of that year, Bracey and Pingeton were able to reconnect as Bracey teamed up with her former coach and took a graduate assistant position at Mizzou in 2011.
In 2012, she spent a season as an assistant coach at Ball State, where she worked heavily with recruiting and created and administered game plans and scouting reports. Following that year, Bracey settled in at UAB on the staff of head coach Randy Norton, who was an assistant under Pingeton at both Mizzou and Illinois State. Now the well-traveled and experienced Bracey is back in black and gold and alongside Pingeton once more heading into the 2016-17 campaign.
— Mizzou Athletics —