Brittany Young to Lead Austin Peay Women’s Basketball

Mar 18, 2021

CLARKSVILLE, TN – Austin Peay State University Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison has again turned to a young coach who has risen through the ranks and gained a reputation as a diligent recruiter to lead one of the department’s flagship programs. The APSU athletics department will introduce Brittany Young as the 11th head women’s basketball coach in program history at 4 p.m., Friday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.

CSA is grateful to have assisted Gerald Harrison and Austin Peay Athletics on this search. 

“During our search one name kept coming up and it was Brittany Young.” said Harrison. “Known as a tireless worker with a competitive spirit, Brittany quickly made a name for herself as one the best recruiters in all women’s college basketball. She is a relationship builder; her student athletes and coaching peers speak to her ability to connect anyone. She also is committed to developing the total student-athlete and, like me, believes in the ‘Total Gov’ concept. I’m extremely excited to welcome Brittany Young to the Austin Peay Athletics family.”

Young takes over the Austin Peay women’s basketball program after a season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Mississippi State. In her season with the Bulldogs, she helped sign KN’isha Godfrey, a four-star rated recruit by espnW and the No. 8 point guard in the country to aid the program’s rebuilding process.

“I am truly honored and grateful to join the Austin Peay family and to become a part of the Clarksville community,” said Young. “There is great leadership at Austin Peay State University, and I would like to thank Director of Athletics Gerald Harrison and President Michael Licari for believing in me and my vision for this program. I look forward to connecting with our student athletes as we strive to achieve excellence. Let’s Go Peay!”

“Brittany was a student-athlete at the Division II level and has coaching experience at the junior college, mid-major and Power 5 levels, giving her a wealth of experience to draw from—she’ll be prepared for anything the game can throw at her,” said Harrison. “In addition, her mentors include some of the best in women’s athletics – Women’s Basketball Hall of Famers like Dawn Staley, Nikki McCray, and Pearl Moore,” said Harrison. Like them, I am confident that she will do an outstanding job moving our program to the next level.”

“I’m so incredibly proud of Brittany, and I’m excited for her as she takes the next step in her career as the Head Coach at Austin Peay State University. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Brittany on my coaching staff at Old Dominion, and I was thrilled she joined me at Mississippi State. I will certainly miss her on my team, but I’m so excited to watch her continue to excel in her career. I am so thankful for the great work she’s done for us. On behalf of our entire program, we wish her continued success.”

Nikki McCray-Penson

Head Women's Basketball Coach, Mississippi State University

Young, a Moncks Corner, South Carolina native, was a CoSIDA Academic All-American® and all-conference performer at Francis Marion University. She was a member of the school’s all-decade team and earned team “Most Valuable Player” honors twice.

In addition to her success on the court, Young was President of the Student Athletic Advisory Council and was just one of 26 recipients of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics in 2011. She graduated from Francis Marion in 2008 with a degree in Political Science.

Following her playing career, Young was a graduate assistant at South Carolina under Dawn Staley. During her two seasons at South Carolina (2011-13), the nationally-ranked Gamecocks twice earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. She obtained her master’s degree in Sport and Entertainment Management from South Carolina in 2013.

“Brittany is a stellar hire; no one is more deserving of this opportunity than her. I was fortunate to witness her work ethic and knowledge of the game first hand. Brittany’s experience at ODU and Mississippi State has prepared her for this day. She is a proven winner and recruiter and will be a role model for her players, both on and off the court, showing them how to succeed as student-athletes and young women.”

Dawn Staley

Head Women's Basketball Coach, University of South Carolina

For the full release from Austin Peay Athletics, click HERE.

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