The 2023-24 season will mark the fourth season for Tianni Kelly as the leader of the University of Charleston women's basketball program. In her three seasons at the helm, Kelly has led the program to an overall 66-21 record and 46-14 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play. Charleston finished the 2022-23 campaign, third in the conference with a 16-6 mark and an overall record of 24-9. The Golden Eagles made a post season run, competing in their third consecutive MEC Tournament Championship game. The conference tournament run solidified their position as 7th in the Atlantic Region, making it their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The 7th seed Golden Eagles won their first-round matchup, upsetting the 2nd seed Gannon Golden Knights. Charleston would finish their 2022-23 season in the Round of 32. Kelly coached three All-MEC selections in Trinity Palacio (First Team), Dakota Reeves (Second Team) and Markyia McCormick (Honorable Mention) who was also named to the NCAA Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team. Palacio and Reeves also garnered MEC Tournament Team honors. The Golden Eagles also continued their success by finishing the academic year with a 3.503 GPA.
Year two under Kelly (2021-22) the Golden Eagles finished second in the conference with a 16-6 mark and an overall record of 23-9. The Golden Eagles won their second consecutive MEC Tournament Championship title and made an NCAA tournament appearance falling in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual National Champion, Glenville State.
Charleston closed the 2022 season sixth in Division II in Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage (37.5%), which was also good for first place in the MEC. It was the second consecutive season in which they led the MEC and finished Top 15 nationally in Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage. The Golden Eagles had two All-MEC selections in Markyia McCormick (First Team) and Dakota Reeves (Second Team) who was also named to the NCAA Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team. Additionally, the two earned MEC Tournament Team honors, while Trinity Palacio would be the MEC Tournament MVP. The Golden Eagles were also recognized for their academic achievements landing at #25 in the 2021-22 WBCA Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a 3.643 GPA.
In her first season leading the Golden Eagles, Charleston ended the 2021 campaign 5th in the final poll of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25. The Golden Eagles had an overall record of 19-3, starting the season 13-0, the best start to a season in program history. UC took home the MEC Regular Season Championship (South Division), MEC Tournament Championship, and the Atlantic Region Tournament Championship, making the programs first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.
Kelly was named MEC Women’s Sports Coach of the Year, MEC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year, and was named the 2020 - 2021 Furfari West Virginia College Coach of the Year – voted on by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association and given to the state’s top college coach regardless of sport or division. She also coached Brooklyn Pannell who would receive MEC Female Athlete of the Year, MEC Player of the Year, and WBCA All-American honors for the 2020-2021 season.
Kelly returned home after serving as the assistant coach for the Valdosta State Blazers women's basketball program. While with the Lady Blazers, Kelly helped lead the team to an 18-11 record during the 2019-2020 season, with the journey coming to an end during the Gulf South Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Kelly joined the Blazers in July 2019 after a two-year stint with the Florida Southern College (FSC) Mocs.
During her two seasons at FSC, Kelly helped guide the Lady Mocs to a 55-9 record, two NCAA tournament appearances, one of which includes a Sweet Sixteen berth, and back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Regular-Season and Tournament championships.
Kelly also coached two Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American selections in Camille Giardina and Honorable Mention All-American honoree Anja Fuchs-Robetin, who both earned All-America honors previous season as well.
Adding to her accomplishments, Kelly was named to the WBCA Thirty Under 30 list, recognizing some of the top young coaches across college basketball after her first season with Florida Southern.
Before heading to FSC, she spent three seasons at home in Charleston, where she helped lead the Golden Eagles to 50 victories, including three-straight trips to the Mountain East Conference Tournament. She helped coach six All-Mountain East Conference selections and one CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America selection in Nichole Perry in 2015.
Kelly, a native of Pickerington, Ohio, played for the Golden Eagles as a forward and made two appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament (2011, 2014) and won the 2011 WVIAC regular-season title. She graduated from the University of Charleston in 2014 with a degree in business administration and sports administration and went on to earn her master's degree in business and leadership from UC in 2015.
