Coach Nicki Collen Announces Baylor Women's Basketball Staff Promotions

WACO, Texas – Baylor women’s basketball coach Nicki Collen announced Monday the promotion of four of her current staff members.

The changes include Tony Greene and Tari Cummings being elevated to associate head coach and associate coach, respectively. Sophia Young-Malcolm earned an assistant coach title in addition to her responsibilities as the director of player development, while Aaron Sternecker was named an assistant coach and the director of scouting and analytics.

“I want to congratulate Tony on his promotion to associate head coach,” Collen said. “Over a two-year period, Tony has been fully committed to the University, our women’s basketball program and the mission of preparing champions for life. I have given Tony incrementally more autonomy on our in-game defensive strategy, and I feel like this move aligns with his responsibility of leading our defense. Tony has been a huge part of our success the last two years, and I’m excited to see him grow even more in this role.”

“I’m excited about the elevation of Tari to associate coach in our program,” Collen continued. “As our recruiting coordinator the past two years, she has been instrumental in our recruiting efforts, post-player development and helping us build our culture. Tari’s loyalty to me and this program is unquestionable, and I know any job or responsibility I give her will be executed at the highest level. This role will allow her to mentor not just our student-athletes but also some of our younger staff.”

New NCAA legislation that became effective July 1 allows for two additional assistant coaches for on-court instruction in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball. Sternecker and Young-Malcolm were a part of Baylor’s additions to assistant coaching roles.

“With the rules that now allow us to have additional on-court coaches, it was easy to assign assistant coach titles to both Aaron and Sophia,” Collen added. “Aaron has worked tirelessly to be great on the video and analytics side of the game for us and has worked side-by-side with me on scouts and game plans. He has filled in on the court when we have had coaching absences and is always prepared and confident in a teaching role.

“Within the last year, Sophia has decided that coaching is something she is passionate about, and with her playing background both at Baylor and in the WNBA, she has the knowledge and tools to help our post players continue to develop. She has done a great job of mentoring our student-athletes off the court for the last two years with devotionals, community service and academics, but this opportunity will allow that role to extend to on the court as well.”

All four staff members came to Baylor with Collen, who enters her third season at the helm in 2023-24. The Bears return eight players, including all-conference selections in Sarah Andrews and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, as well as a unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection in Bella Fontleroy. Baylor made its 19th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, marking the fifth-longest active streak in the country.