THE FLATS – Georgia Tech women’s basketball head coach Nell Fortner announced today Brandy Manning has joined the Yellow Jackets staff as assistant coach. Manning spent the last three years at California State University, Northridge, in the same role.
“Brandy has strong Georgia roots having been a graduate of Clark Atlanta. To have him back in the state of Georgia with those Georgia roots is good for Georgia Tech and this program,” commented Fortner. “Brandy has done an outstanding job in his career, working with some outstanding head coaches at Central Florida, Arizona, USC and Cal Northridge. He has tremendous experience in player development and a wide recruiting base.”
In three seasons with the Matadors, Manning helped the program claim the 2018 Big West Conference Tournament title as the No. 5 seed, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, developed a two-time Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and mentored the Big West Freshman of the Year.
Manning spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas State University. After posting a 17-15 overall record and an 11-9 Sun Belt Conference mark, the Bobcats participated in the WBI Postseason Tournament. Additionally, he helped ink the Sun Belt Conference’s top recruiting class in 2014-15 according to All-Star Girls Report.
For the 2013-14 season, Manning served as the associate head coach at the University of Southern California. While at USC, he helped sign the 15th-ranked recruiting class by Prospects Nation, which included three top-100 ranked prospects. Manning helped develop both the interior and perimeter players. The Trojans capped the season in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Pac-12 Tournament Championship.
Prior to his stint at USC, Manning spent five years at Arizona as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator (2008-2013). The Wildcats returned to the postseason for the first time since the 2004-05 season when Arizona earned a spot in the 2011 Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The following year, Arizona’s 11-1 start to the 2011-12 season was the best in program history since 1999-2000.
Before his arrival at Arizona, Manning held stints at University of Central Florida (2007-08) and Murray State University (2006-07). At UCF, Manning helped assemble a recruiting class of eight student-athletes that helped drive the Knights to the 2009 and 2011 Conference USA championships, as well as their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years. Manning helped guide the Murray State Racers to their second-ever postseason appearance in 2007. The Racers finished the season with a 21-10 record, earning a bid to the WNIT.
Manning spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Louisville from 2003-05 when the Cardinals posted a combined record of 42-19, advanced to the 2005 Conference USA Championship game and earned a NCAA Tournament berth.
“I am excited to be joining one of the most transformative programs and academic institutions in the country,” commented Manning. “Having an opportunity to come back to Atlanta and work with Coach Fortner was a no brainer. She’s a proven winner and teacher of the game, but most importantly, an even better person. I am blessed to be joining a dynamic group of people that are dedicated to the growth and development of young women and the game of basketball.”
Manning graduated from Clark Atlanta in 2002 with a bachelor of arts in psychology and also holds a master’s degree in education from Louisville (2005). He and his wife, Nakaya, have two sons, Brandyn and Quintyn, and a daughter, Devyn.
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