JACKSONVILLE – Rick Pietri announced the hiring of new assistant coach Ka'Vonne Towns on Friday, Apr. 21. With the hiring of Towns, a former college basketball standout, the Gamecock women's basketball program is adding a rising star in the profession.
 
"We're really excited to have Ka'Vonne," Pietri said. "She came highly recommended from people I have great respect for. She has tremendous playing experience, has won championships, and has been in NCAA Tournaments as a player. She has years of Division I coaching experience and is somebody I think our kids will connect with. Ka'Vonne is very intelligent and puts a lot of work into it, so we're very glad to have her."
 
"It feels great to join the staff," Towns said. "I'm just very thankful for this opportunity and am very excited to get to work. Pietri is a great coach with a lot of accolades and has accomplished some very impressive things since he's been here. That's part of what drew me in. I'm excited to learn from him and (assistant coach Eric) Wise. They've been together for a number of years, so I'm wanting to see how they do things behind the scenes and see what I can learn.
 
"Helping the team win is my main goal, but I am also looking forward to bringing in more fans and introducing the community to our program," Towns added. "Jacksonville has been great. I've been meeting a lot of people and everyone is super friendly, so we're hoping to get more of those friendly faces in the seats and excited about our team."
 
Towns comes to Jax State from South Alabama, where she served as an assistant coach for Terry Fowler's program. There, she had a hand in the development of Kelsey Thompson, the Sun Belt Conference's 2022-23 Freshman of the Year. Towns helped guide Thompson to that prestigious postseason honor after a phenomenal rookie season in Mobile in which she averaged 10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. In addition, the Jaguars scored three massive SBC victories in Towns' lone season at South Alabama, including a buzzer-beater triumph on Senior Night versus perennial power Troy.
 
Prior to her time at USA, she was an assistant coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) under head coach Andrea Lemmond. In her one year with the Chargers, Towns helped a young squad turn in an impressive campaign that included six wins in an extremely tough Gulf South Conference.
 
Before joining Lemmond's staff in Huntsville, Towns served in two roles at her alma mater. She was the Director of Operations for women's basketball at Chattanooga from 2018-20 after spending one season as the Director of Student-Athlete Development. The former Moc guard was an integral part of a strong UTC program that amassed 35 Southern Conference victories in her time on the staff.
 
The Lilburn, Ga., native had a very productive career on the hardwood at Chattanooga. Towns, an All-SoCon Tournament Second Team selection in 2015, led the Mocs to four consecutive conference titles in regular season and tournament play and four NCAA Tournament appearances. She still ranks 10^th in program history with 125 games played over four years and ended her career with 682 points, 340 rebounds, 177 assists, and 162 steals. Towns saved the best for last, turning in a 291-point senior campaign in 2014-15 in which she started 31 of 33 games at point guard for the Mocs.
 
Towns joins a veteran coaching staff at Jacksonville State that includes eleventh-year head coach Rick Pietri, eleventh-year assistant Eric Wise, and third-year assistant Rabun Wright. Following two successful seasons in the ASUN Conference, Jacksonville State is set to transition to Conference USA this Fall. The Gamecocks will take part in a competitive conference against the likes of Florida International, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, UTEP, and Western Kentucky.
 
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