Samantha Russell was hired in July 2024 as the Assistant Women's Basketball Coach. 

Russell graduated this past spring from Bryan College, where she was named the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Newcomer of the Year. She would later earn Second Team and First Team All-Conference honors, before being named the 2024 AAC Player of the Year, while also being named a third team All-American. She started 63 of the 64 games she played in, averaging 31.2 minutes, 17.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during her career. She began her playing career at Young Harris College, now a fellow Conference Carolinas school.

Prior to King, Russell has been coaching travel ball programs in Tennessee, and completed a 2023 High School Coaching Internship. A native of Tellico Plains, Tenn., she earned her Bachelor of Science from Bryan College in 2024.