UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced the additions of Ashley Earley and Myia Johnson as assistant coaches for the upcoming 2019-20 season.
Earley and Johnson bring a wealth of previous coaching experience to Happy Valley, having made stops in the Big Ten, SEC and ACC.
Earley and Johnson join Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Ginny Boggess, Director of Operations Pam Brown and Director of Program Development MaryLynne Schaefer on Kieger's staff.
Ashley Earley – Assistant Coach
Earley, a former WNBA player and All-American at Vanderbilt, comes to Penn State after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky. Earley owns nearly 10 years of collegiate coaching experience with previous stops at Vanderbilt, Virginia, Marquette, Rhode Island and Tennessee Tech.
"Ashley brings a wealth of experience to our program," Kieger said. "She has recruited and played at the highest level and is recognized as one of the best post development coaches in the country. She knows how to make others around her better and will make sure our women are growing as leaders on and off the floor. We are ecstatic that she is joining the Penn State family."
Earley worked as the post player development coach and had an on-court defensive focus during her two seasons at Northern Kentucky. She mentored forward walk-on Kailey Coffey to a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman Team in 2018, as well as helping guide NKU to a three-place improvement in the conference standings from 2018 to 2019.
Prior to her time at Northern Kentucky, Earley spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt. While in Nashville, she helped sign a pair of top-20 recruiting classes, including the No. 6 class in the country and top-ranked class in the SEC in 2016. Earley helped the Commodores earn their 15th-straight NCAA tournament berth in her first season at Vandy. The following season, the frontcourt was one of the most efficient in the nation with four players connecting above 50 percent from the field, while the entire team ranked 10th in the nation at 45.4 percent.
Prior to her return to her alma mater, Earley started her coaching career at Alabama as a graduate assistant before moving on to positions at Tennessee Tech (2007-09), Rhode Island (2009-10), Marquette (2010-12) and Virginia (2012-13).
Earley has been a part of six NCAA Tournaments, two as a coach and four as a player. She was named a 2016 Southeastern Conference Legend for her achievements as a player and a coach in the SEC.
As a player at Vanderbilt from 2001-05, Earley was a unanimous All-SEC First Team honoree, Kodak All-Region, an Associated Press All-American honorable mention and a Full Court Press All-American Second Team member. She led the SEC in field goal percentage and offensive rebounds in her senior season and was a candidate for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award. She also has extensive postseason tournament playing experience, helping the Commodores to the Elite Eight in 2002 as well as Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2004 and 2005.
Earley was drafted by the Indiana Fever as the No. 29 overall pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft and played professionally for the Maccabi Tel Kabir in the Safsal Israeli League. She finished in the top five in the Safsal Israeli League in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
Myia Johnson – Assistant Coach
Johnson brings a wealth of Big Ten experience to Penn State having spent six years on staff at a conference school, including the last three as an assistant coach at Wisconsin.
"We are thrilled to welcome Myia to the Penn State family," Kieger said. "Not only does she bring Big Ten experience as a coach, but she also played at Rutgers and competed in Final Fours. She is an elite recruiter who does a phenomenal job evaluating talent and establishing relationships. Myia will add an energy to our program that will be infectious and I can't wait for our players to be coached, mentored and inspired by her."
Johnson worked primarily with the wing players while at Wisconsin. She mentored Cayla McMorris to a pair of honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Johnson helped guide the Badgers advance to the Big Ten Quarterfinals this past season.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Johnson (then McCurdy) went to Wisconsin after serving as the video coordinator at Ohio State for three seasons. The Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA tournament two years, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2016. At OSU, Johnson managed film exchange and scouting duties. She was also responsible for monitoring the academic progress of team members and supervising player social media. Other responsibilities included assisting with on-campus recruiting visits, recruiting qualified male student-athletes as practice players, student life liaison, co-day camp coordinator and co-community service coordinator.
Prior to Ohio State, Johnson served as an administrative assistant/video coordinator at South Florida for one season. She was involved in the day-to-day operations of the women's basketball program, working directly with head coach Jose Fernandez as his personal assistant and was in charge of all travel and expense reports while assisting with recruiting visits, academic mentoring and the marketing and promotions for summer camps.
Johnson graduated from Rutgers in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in sport management and a minor in sociology. She was a four-year letter winner for Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer and the Scarlet Knights from 2006-10, appearing in two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight and one national championship game. She was co-captain of the 2009-10 squad, averaging 4.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and was Rutgers' defensive player of the year as a senior in 2010.
She and her husband welcomed in their first child, Noah, in March of 2018.
