COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- There are many jobs a Director of Basketball Operations performs behind the scenes of a successful program. From day-to-day operations, overseeing all aspects of travel, managing creative content for social media, this position wears many hats and is vital to the organization running smoothly and efficiently.
Tech women's basketball head coach Kim Rosamond has had several phenomenal people take on that role. For the previous three seasons, the Golden Eagles had a rising star in this role with Emily Hatfield, who was recently named Coordinator of Video and Recruiting Operations at Iowa State.
Coach Rosamond announced on Thursday that Brianna Ellis has been hired as the program's next Director of Operations.
"This job attracted some outstanding candidates, but Brianna set herself apart with the things we value most – her energy, her servant heart, and her positive attitude towards life. We always start with the people first, and Bri is a dynamic young woman. Her championship experience as a player and diverse background in development and broadcasting will be a great benefit to all aspects of our organization. I have no doubts Bri will make a great impact within our team and community."
Ellis joins the Tennessee Tech staff after her time at Missouri State as a player for the Lady Bears from 2017-2021. She most recently served within the MSU athletic department in several different roles.
Ellis graduated in May of 2021 with a bachelor of science in journalism with an emphasis in broadcasting. Following her graduation, she worked as a radio host and ESPN+ color analyst for Missouri State broadcasts.
She was also an assistant director of athletics development at Missouri State. In that role, Ellis helped coordinate events for student-athletes, alumni and program supporters, while also assisting in the efforts to raise funds for the department's 17 athletic programs. She helped coordinate travel and meetings for administration and supporters.
"I am very blessed and humbled for this amazing opportunity at Tech," Ellis said. "I'm very excited to be a part of this program. The coaching staff and the team were very welcoming and have made this transition feel like home already."
During her athletic days, she helped take Missouri State to two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 2019 and 2021. The Lady Bears, under the direction of now-Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper, beat No. 13 Iowa State 69-60 before falling to No. 6 Stanford 55-46 in the Chicago regional in 2019. The 2020-21 team, coached by Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, then topped UC Davis 70-51 and Wright State 64-38 before No. 2 Stanford ended their run 89-62 in the San Antonio regional semifinal.
"I learned so much from both Kellie and Mox," Ellis said. "Both staffs instilled hard work and serving others in their coaching philosophies which led to tremendous success both on and off the court."
While at MSU, Ellis was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, MSU Association of Black Collegians, MSU Sisters Circle and the Courageous Women Ministry. She was also involved in community service as a volunteer for Disney Elementary, Boys and Girls Club, Mid-Missouri Food Bank and the SAAC annual street clean-up.
Ellis, whose parents Tim and Sonja are life-long Missouri residents, grew up in Columbia alongside her sister Brittani and brother Jacob.
