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Ross Jolly

Ross Jolly joined Radford as an assistant women's basketball coach in June 2016.
 
In his role with the Highlanders, Jolly serves as the scouting coordinator. His other duties include post player development, recruiting and academics.

Radford put together one of the greatest campaigns in school history in 2018-19, going 26-6 overall and 17-1 in Big South play to clinch the regular season title and the top seed in the Big South Tournament. McGuire and the Highlanders would go on to win the Big South Championship and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 23 years.
 
During non-conference play, Radford took down Temple, VCU and Virginia to become battle-tested for life in the Big South. It was then that the Highlanders really shined, going on an 18-game winning streak to close out the regular season and tear through postseason play. A 15-1 record inside the Dedmon Center treated fans to a near-perfect performance at home.
 
Destinee Walker and Lydia Rivers were voted First Team All-Big South, Sydney Nunley and Khiana Johnson made the Second Team, and Jen Falconer was selected for the All-Academic Team. Walker also made an appearance on the VaSID Second Team All-State team. The Highlanders earned their first ever Big South Conference Sportsmanship Award following the 2018-19 season and the program has also excelled like never before in the classroom, earning an APR score of 1,000 across the last four years.

For the second consecutive season, Radford finished with a 24-9 mark, compiling a 48-18 record over the last two seasons, best two-year mark in program history. The Highlanders finished with a 15-3 clip in Big South play, most wins in program history. For the second straight season, Radford dropped no more than two games in a row.
 
Radford made its second straight WNIT, taking down Big Ten foe Penn State, 63-62, in overtime for the third postseason win in program history.
 
For the second consecutive season, Radford placed three on All-Big South teams as Janayla White earned first-team honors, while Jayda Worthy was named to the second team. Destinee Walker earned a spot on the honorable mention squad.
 
Worthy became the fourth player in program history to earn Big South Defensive Player of the Year as the Highlanders finished with the fourth best scoring defense in the country. Radford also ranked 18th nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense and 19th in field goal percentage defense.
 
Radford went 12-1 inside the Dedmon Center, holding a 28-1 mark since February 2016 as the Highlanders won 21 straight at one point, ranking as the third longest home streak in the country during that time.

In his first season, Radford compiled a 24-9 record, finishing with the second most wins in program history. Only the 1988-89 squad won more games, compiling a 25-7 clip.

In Big South play, Radford finished with a 14-4 record for the second most conference wins in the team’s history, matching the record set during the 2014-15 season. Racking up the wins on the floor, Radford also racked up its first Big South Regular Season Championship in 25 years, defeating Campbell with a thrilling 49-48 win.

Radford collected two three-point victories in the Big South Tournament, earning its first championship appearance since 2008. The Highlanders fell just short of earning its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1996, dropping the championship game 49-48 to UNC Asheville, but earned an WNIT bid.

Under Jolly's guidance, Janayla White earned All-Big South honors. White averaged 9.4 ppg and 8.4 rpg, while moving in sole possession of second place in career blocks. She tallied double-figures in nine of Radford's final 11 games on the season. In that stretch, White collected five double-doubles, giving her eight total.

Providing fans with suspenseful games all season long, Radford’s lockdown defense was a major part of the season’s success. The Highlander defense finished the season ranked inside the Top 15 nationally in two defensive categories. Holding opponents to a mere 55.0 points per game, Radford ranked as the 10th best defense in the country. The Highlanders ranked 11th with a 35.1 field goal percentage defense.
 
Jolly comes to Radford following three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Greenville. In his time with the Crusaders, Jolly coached five all-conference performers, including the 2015 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year.
 
Prior to North Greenville, Jolly spent one season on the sidelines at UNC Wilmington for the 2012-13 season. Jolly aided in recruiting, player development, scouting and film exchange for the Seahawks.
 
Before joining UNC Wilmington's staff, Jolly served as an assistant at Tusculum, leading the Pioneers to a 17-11 record and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
 
During his time as a student at Chattanooga, Jolly served as a student assistant on Wes Moore's staff that posted a 82-37 record, while collecting three Southern Conference championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. Jolly assisted in the day to day operations, while keeping statistics and filming practices.
 
A native of Sparta, Tenn., Jolly earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Chattanooga in 2011.

Jolly comes from a rich basketball family as his sister, Kellie Harper, is a three-time national champion at Tennessee under hall-of-fame coach Pat Summitt and was hired as the newest head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols in April. His brother, Brent, is a former assistant coach with the men's program at Chattanooga.

Follow Coach Jolly on Twitter: @CoachJolly

Ross Jolly at a Glance

Personal

Full Name: Ross Lee Jolly

Hometown: Sparta, Tenn.

Born: June 9

Education

  • College: University of Tennessee - Chattanooga (B.S. in Finance, 2011)
  • High School: White County H.S. (2007 graduate)

Coaching Timeline (5 years)

2011-12  Tusculum College Women's Basketball Assistant Coach
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2012
2012-13 UNC Wilmington Women's Basketball Assistant Coach
2013-16 North Greenville University Assistant Coach
2016-pr. Radford University Women's Basketball Assistant Coach