TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati women's basketball head coach Jamelle Elliott announced Monday the additions of Eddie Benton and Tamisha Augustin to the Bearcats coaching staff as assistants.
An accomplished pair, Benton and Augustin bring over 25 years of collegiate coaching tenure to the UC program including NCAA Tournament experience, all-conference player development, and nationally-recognized recruiting.
"We are very excited about the additions of Eddie Benton and Tamisha Augustin to our coaching staff," said Elliott. "Both Eddie and Tamisha bring a tremendous track record as high-character coaches and years of experience on the collegiate level. Their passion for recruiting and the development of student-athletes both on and off the court will continue to build our positive momentum into the future."
Equipped with almost two decades of collegiate coaching experience, Benton comes to the Queen City after a brief stint at Valparaiso. Prior to his time at Valpo, he spent three seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Duquesne where he helped guide the Dukes to a program-record 28 victories in 2015-16, a season that culminated with a win in the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Benton's Duquesne tenure also included back-to-back WNIT appearances -- including a round of 16 appearance in 2014-15 – as well as three weeks being nationally ranked and an Atlantic 10 regular season conference title in 2015-16.
Before arriving at Duquesne, Benton was the head coach at NCAA Division III La Roche College from 2004-12. He guided the Redhawks to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, en route to being named league coach of the year following both seasons. La Roche enjoyed a 30-game conference winning streak spanning those years.
Benton's prior coaching stops included holding assistant coaching positions at Saint Francis (Pa.) (2012-13), at Robert Morris men's basketball (2001-04), La Roche (1999-2001), and as a student at Vermont (1996-97). He is also a current member of a number of coaching organizations including the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Advocates for Athletic Equality, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Before entering the coaching profession, Benton enjoyed an accomplished playing career. He won the 1996 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the top point guard in the country under six feet in height. He also earned the 1996 Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in New England. He left Vermont as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,474) and individual single-game scoring record-holder (54). His professional career included time with the Venezuela Punta Fijo (1999) and the Isreal Carmiel (1998).
A 2006 inductee into the University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame, the Pittsburgh native graduated from Vermont in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a minor in mathematics. He has two children, his daughter NyAsia and son Eddie III.
"Eddie's passion and energy for the game of basketball is apparent," said Elliott. "He has experience playing the game at a high level, a tremendous work ethic, and a genuine love for our game."
"I am honored and excited to join the coaching staff at UC," said Benton. "The opportunity to continue to grow in the coaching profession at a tradition-rich program in a highly-competitive conference is tremendous. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to learn from a veteran coach in Jamelle and to work with our talented student-athletes. Big things are happening at UC and I am ecstatic to join the Bearcats family."
Armed with coaching knowledge spanning from the AAU circuit to the Power 5 conference level, Augustin comes to Cincinnati after spending last season at Minnesota. In Minneapolis, she helped groom All-Big Ten Second Team honoree Carlie Wagner and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection Kenisha Bell while helping direct the Golden Gophers to a Big Ten Tournament first round win over Penn State.
Prior, she spent time in the American Athletic Conference as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UCF from 2014-16. In Orlando, Augustin oversaw a stellar 2014-15 season for Zykira Lewis, who earned all-league second team recognition, set a UCF season record with 86 3-pointers and averaged 18.9 points per game. As recruiting coordinator, Augustin helped bring in a class which included two players who earned AAC Rookie of the Week honors in 2015-16. Additionally, Augustin signed the Knights' 2016 recruiting class that ranked No. 31 in the nation according to Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
Previously, as an assistant, she was part of one of VCU's best seasons in program history in 2013-14. The Rams went 22-10, their sixth 20-win season ever, and earned a berth in the WNIT. Augustin was part of current Minnesota head coach Marlene Stollings' VCU staff that saw the Rams set program records of 75.8 points per game and 235 made 3-pointers.
Augustin spent the 2012-13 season at Marshall before joining the VCU staff. In her stay with the Thundering Herd she signed a top-100 recruit. As an assistant at South Carolina State from 2010-12, Augustin helped coach two all-conference selections in Whitney Wiley and Cabriel Duren. She also signed junior college All-American Brittany Cochran. Before getting into college coaching, she gained experience on the AAU and high school levels.
As a student-athlete, Augustin competed at Alabama A&M from 2002-06 where she was a two-time All-SWAC shooting guard and a four-time captain. An injury ended Augustin's subsequent professional playing career after she became the first American to play for KSC-Szekszard in Hungary. Augustin graduated from Alabama A&M with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2005. She earned a master's degree in microbiology there in 2007, and would earn another master's in education from Regent University in 2010.
"Tamisha's previous experience as an assistant in The American gives her a familiarity with the teams in our conference," said Elliott. "Her ability to connect and build genuine relationships with coaches, parents, and student-athletes both during and after the recruiting process is impressive."
"I am privileged and humbled to join coach Elliott's staff," said Augustin. "I want to thank the UC administration for giving me this tremendous opportunity. I'm excited to join a program that has great tradition and to work alongside a leader who is a fierce competitor and is passionate about winning in Jamelle. I look forward to furthering our vision of developing student-athletes at a championship level and am thrilled to become a part of the Cincinnati community and Bearcats nation."
An accomplished pair, Benton and Augustin bring over 25 years of collegiate coaching tenure to the UC program including NCAA Tournament experience, all-conference player development, and nationally-recognized recruiting.
"We are very excited about the additions of Eddie Benton and Tamisha Augustin to our coaching staff," said Elliott. "Both Eddie and Tamisha bring a tremendous track record as high-character coaches and years of experience on the collegiate level. Their passion for recruiting and the development of student-athletes both on and off the court will continue to build our positive momentum into the future."
Equipped with almost two decades of collegiate coaching experience, Benton comes to the Queen City after a brief stint at Valparaiso. Prior to his time at Valpo, he spent three seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Duquesne where he helped guide the Dukes to a program-record 28 victories in 2015-16, a season that culminated with a win in the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Benton's Duquesne tenure also included back-to-back WNIT appearances -- including a round of 16 appearance in 2014-15 – as well as three weeks being nationally ranked and an Atlantic 10 regular season conference title in 2015-16.
Before arriving at Duquesne, Benton was the head coach at NCAA Division III La Roche College from 2004-12. He guided the Redhawks to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, en route to being named league coach of the year following both seasons. La Roche enjoyed a 30-game conference winning streak spanning those years.
Benton's prior coaching stops included holding assistant coaching positions at Saint Francis (Pa.) (2012-13), at Robert Morris men's basketball (2001-04), La Roche (1999-2001), and as a student at Vermont (1996-97). He is also a current member of a number of coaching organizations including the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Advocates for Athletic Equality, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Before entering the coaching profession, Benton enjoyed an accomplished playing career. He won the 1996 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the top point guard in the country under six feet in height. He also earned the 1996 Bob Cousy Award, given to the top point guard in New England. He left Vermont as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,474) and individual single-game scoring record-holder (54). His professional career included time with the Venezuela Punta Fijo (1999) and the Isreal Carmiel (1998).
A 2006 inductee into the University of Vermont Athletics Hall of Fame, the Pittsburgh native graduated from Vermont in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with a minor in mathematics. He has two children, his daughter NyAsia and son Eddie III.
"Eddie's passion and energy for the game of basketball is apparent," said Elliott. "He has experience playing the game at a high level, a tremendous work ethic, and a genuine love for our game."
"I am honored and excited to join the coaching staff at UC," said Benton. "The opportunity to continue to grow in the coaching profession at a tradition-rich program in a highly-competitive conference is tremendous. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to learn from a veteran coach in Jamelle and to work with our talented student-athletes. Big things are happening at UC and I am ecstatic to join the Bearcats family."
Armed with coaching knowledge spanning from the AAU circuit to the Power 5 conference level, Augustin comes to Cincinnati after spending last season at Minnesota. In Minneapolis, she helped groom All-Big Ten Second Team honoree Carlie Wagner and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection Kenisha Bell while helping direct the Golden Gophers to a Big Ten Tournament first round win over Penn State.
Prior, she spent time in the American Athletic Conference as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UCF from 2014-16. In Orlando, Augustin oversaw a stellar 2014-15 season for Zykira Lewis, who earned all-league second team recognition, set a UCF season record with 86 3-pointers and averaged 18.9 points per game. As recruiting coordinator, Augustin helped bring in a class which included two players who earned AAC Rookie of the Week honors in 2015-16. Additionally, Augustin signed the Knights' 2016 recruiting class that ranked No. 31 in the nation according to Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
Previously, as an assistant, she was part of one of VCU's best seasons in program history in 2013-14. The Rams went 22-10, their sixth 20-win season ever, and earned a berth in the WNIT. Augustin was part of current Minnesota head coach Marlene Stollings' VCU staff that saw the Rams set program records of 75.8 points per game and 235 made 3-pointers.
Augustin spent the 2012-13 season at Marshall before joining the VCU staff. In her stay with the Thundering Herd she signed a top-100 recruit. As an assistant at South Carolina State from 2010-12, Augustin helped coach two all-conference selections in Whitney Wiley and Cabriel Duren. She also signed junior college All-American Brittany Cochran. Before getting into college coaching, she gained experience on the AAU and high school levels.
As a student-athlete, Augustin competed at Alabama A&M from 2002-06 where she was a two-time All-SWAC shooting guard and a four-time captain. An injury ended Augustin's subsequent professional playing career after she became the first American to play for KSC-Szekszard in Hungary. Augustin graduated from Alabama A&M with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2005. She earned a master's degree in microbiology there in 2007, and would earn another master's in education from Regent University in 2010.
"Tamisha's previous experience as an assistant in The American gives her a familiarity with the teams in our conference," said Elliott. "Her ability to connect and build genuine relationships with coaches, parents, and student-athletes both during and after the recruiting process is impressive."
"I am privileged and humbled to join coach Elliott's staff," said Augustin. "I want to thank the UC administration for giving me this tremendous opportunity. I'm excited to join a program that has great tradition and to work alongside a leader who is a fierce competitor and is passionate about winning in Jamelle. I look forward to furthering our vision of developing student-athletes at a championship level and am thrilled to become a part of the Cincinnati community and Bearcats nation."