Women's Basketball

Playing a big role on the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball staff during the 2024-25 campaign, it’s certainly true that Lilly Bridges paid her dues over the course of her first season with the program.

 

With an incredible range of skills shown during the year, it was no surprise to see Bridges promoted to assistant coach for the Golden Eagle program.

 

 

Through the course of the Golden Eagles’ NCAA run, Bridges helped support the team’s Director of Basketball Operations, created graphics for the team’s social media campaigns and worked with the team in drills when the need arose.

 

In her first season on the Golden Eagles’ decorated staff, Tech finished 26-6, the program's most wins since 1989-90 and the fourth-highest total in school history. The Golden Eagles went 18-2 in conference play, tying the OVC record for most league victories, and put together a 17-game winning streak that spanned from January 10 to March 21 — halted only by national runner-up South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.

 

At home, Tech posted a perfect 14-0 record, marking just the second undefeated home season in program history. The team captured both the OVC regular-season and tournament titles for the first time in 25 years and earned its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance.

 

Bridges, a graduate from the University of Georgia in Health and Physical Education, has experience coaching and teaching. In 2021, she served as an assistant junior varsity and varsity girls basketball coach at North Oconee High School before spending 2022 to 2024 as the JV girls basketball head coach and varsity assistant. Brides also had student teaching experience at Oconee County Primary School and Dove Creek Middle.

 

She has also been visible in the community as she worked with UGA's VI and Adaptive Field Days and a volunteer coach for Hoop Troop. She was also involved with the Whatever It Takes tutoring and mentoring program, Morgan County (Ga.) Humane Society, UGA Miracle and the National Juvenile Arthritis Foundation.

 

A highly-decorated student at UGA, Bridges was named the SHAPE Major of the Year for 2023-24, the 2024 Joan B. Neal Scholarship Award winner, the 2024 Clifford Gray Lewis Scholarship Award winner, a multiple-time member of the UGA Dean's List and on the UGA Mary Frances Early College of Education President's List.

 

At Gatewood High, Bridges was the 2019 salutatorian, while earning the school's Best Offensive Player award and the Athlete of the Year honor.