Jamelle Elliott, a former student-athlete and assistant coach at UConn, was named the University of Cincinnati's eighth head women's basketball coach on May 5, 2009. She coached her eighth season at UC in 2016-17.
During her tenure, Elliott has guided the Bearcats during the transition from the BIG EAST Conference to the American Athletic Conference and has produced a number of all-league selections as well as a pair of pair of 1,000-point scorers.
Elliott has also stayed active in the Greater Cincinnati community including recent involvement with the Queen City (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Girls STEAM Academy (GSA) which is designed to increase girls' interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) to create a pipeline for African Americans to participate and excel in STEAM careers in the future.
2017 was a special year for for the Washington D.C. native as she was honored with an induction into John Hayden Johnson Middle School's Athletics Hall of Fame as well as having the school's gymnasium and court dedicated in her name as an alumna. She was also back for a second-consecutive summer with USA Basketball after serving as a court coach and advance scout during the Women's National Team's run for gold at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Back in Clifton, the Bearcats exceeded expectations during the 2016-17 season. The Red & Black recorded an eight-win improvement from the season prior with a 16-14 overall record, its best mark since 2005-06. UC also earned its highest-ever finish in the American Athletic Conference standings with a four-way tie for fifth place. In addition, Elliott was instrumental in the growth of junior college transfer Shanice Johnson who was named AAC Newcomer of the Year by the league's head coaches.
Playing against top-10 teams on four occasions throughout the season, UC began 2015-16 strong with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2011. In the Bearcats’ fast start to the year, they set a new single-game scoring record under Elliott with 93 points against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the season opener.
In 2014-15, Elliott oversaw the development of American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team honoree Ana Owens who averaged team bests of 11.7 points and 2.5 assists per game. UC also picked up its second American Athletic Conference Championship Quarterfinal win in as many seasons.
During the 2013-14 campaign, Elliott's team put together an impressive 5-0 record against teams from the state of Ohio, picking up wins over Kent State, Youngstown State, Ohio State, Akron and Xavier. The victory over the Buckeyes was the Bearcats’ first since 1988.
The Bearcats recorded eight wins in nonconference play in 2012-13 including starting the season 6-2. Elliott aided in the continued maturation of guard Dayeesha Hollins who was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team for the second-consecutive season with team-high averages of 15.7 points and 2.8 assists.
UC finished with a 15-15 mark during the 2011-12 season, a six-game improvement from the year prior. The Bearcats were selected to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the first postseason berth for UC since the 2005-06 season.
Elliott's second season at the helm of the Bearcats produced a 5-0 start, UC's first since the 2005-06 campaign. Elliott also presided over her first win over a Top 25 program when the Bearcats topped No. 20 Marquette on Senior Night inside Fifth Third Arena. The 2010-11 season saw four freshman get significant minutes and two - Kayla Cook and Jeanise Randolph - earn BIG EAST All-Freshman honors.
In her first season on the Bearcats sideline, the squad improved its BIG EAST record by one win and upset USF in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship. UC was runner-up at the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout and defeated St. John's - a team that spent a significant portion of the season in the Top 25 and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Elliott earned her first career head coaching win in the 2009 season opener, an 85-46 victory over Furman inside Fifth Third Arena.
Elliott immediately put her stamp on the UC program by starting new season ticket sales and marketing initiatives. Season ticket sales increased more than 220% from 2008-09 to 2009-10.
Elliott is very involved in the greater Cincinnati community, speaking at events and lending support to several charity organizations. Elliott aligned herself and the UC program with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Marvin Lewis Community Fund, and Dress for Success, among others. In 2011, she was instrumental in the adoption of Buzz Smith, a 10-year-old recovering from multiple spinal surgeries. Elliott deemed him a member of the Bearcat Family who will be granted exclusive access to team practices and pre-game rituals.
Elliott spent the better part of two decades with the UConn women's basketball program and Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, the last 12 years as an assistant coach. She has been a part of six national championships, including the Huskies' 2009 undefeated championship run, and won a title as a player, helping UConn to the 1995 championship, the first in the school's history.
Building on her success as a player for the Huskies, Elliott has helped guide UConn to a 402-36 (.918) record in her 12 years as an assistant coach, leading the team to seven NCAA Final Four berths in that span. In conference action, UConn has won the BIG EAST Conference regular season title in 10 of her 12 seasons, while also claiming a total of nine tournament crowns.
She has mentored some of the game's best post players, including all-Americans Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Tamika Williams, 2009 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tina Charles, and 2009 National Player of the Year Maya Moore.
Elliott, a four-year letterwinner, helped build the UConn dynasty as a player and finished her career ranked No. 2 among UConn's all-time rebounding leaders (1,054), No. 5 in BIG EAST career rebounding (558), and No. 11 in UConn career scoring (1,387).
Elliott, at the time, became only the second player in UConn history to surpass the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestones. She is among the UConn career leaders for games played with 135, never missing a single game or practice in her four years. UConn posted an overall record of 117-18 (.867) during her career as a player.
During her senior year, Elliott was honored by The UConn Club as its Outstanding Senior Athlete. She was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the Hartford Courant Connecticut Classic and was a member of the 1995 NCAA Mideast Regional All-Tournament Team.
After graduating from Connecticut with a degree in business management in 1996, Elliott went on to earn her graduate degree in sports management at UConn in 1997.
Elliott, a native of Washington, D.C., was named to the Washington Post all-Metro Team as well as being named Scholar-Athlete at H.D. Woodson High School.
Jamelle Elliott
Women's Basketball Head Coach