June 6, 2011

Daphne Mitchell named women's basketball Director of Basketball Operations

Daphne Mitchell, who played four years at Georgia Tech and two years professionally, has been selected by Tennessee Tech women's coach Sytia Messer as the Golden Eagles Director of Basketball Operations.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Daphne Mitchell, who played four seasons at Georgia Tech and two seasons professionally in Europe, has been named Director of Basketball Operations for the Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team.

Third-year Golden Eagle head coach Sytia Messer, who coached Mitchell at Georgia Tech, announced the addition to her staff.

"We're excited about Daphne joining our staff," Messer said. "Daphne is an experienced player who has competed at the highest level, both in the ACC and professionally. She has very strong organizational skills and a hunger to display her experience and her knowledge to our players."

A native of East Point, Ga., she was a standout student and athlete at Woodward Academy where she led her team to back-to-back region championships and was named an honorable mention all-American. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Yellowjackets, playing in 102 games in her career with 13 starts. In addition to her time on the court, she was active off the court in community activities and was recipient of one of the ACC Top Six for Service honors.

"As a former post coach at Georgia Tech, I coached Daphne one-on-one each day for four years," Messer said. "Because of the work ethic she had, both on and off the court, I knew one day I'd want to hire her on my staff.

“It was definitely an easy decision to hire Daphne,” Messer added. “She knows my system and is very intelligent. The players will benefit from her knowledge of the game.”

Mitchell said the combination of working with her former coach, as well as joining a program with such a strong tradition, made it an easy decision.

“Coach Messer made the job appealing to me,” Mitchell said. “The Tennessee Tech program has a good history and this was a way to still be involved in the game. She’s a fun, energetic coach. Working for her, I won’t think of her as a boss but as a friend.”

Mitchell joins the Tech staff after playing two years of professional basketball in Europe. Recently, Mitchell played forward and center for the Clube Desportivo Torres Novas team in Portugal. She also played for the Codigalco Carmelitas in Spain, where the 6-foot-1 center averaged eight points and six rebounds. Mitchell's professional career also included a team in Finland, where she averaged 15 points and seven rebounds, and a team in Ecuador, where she averaged 11 points and 10 rebound per game.

Off the court, Mitchell has been involved in a variety of projects including serving as a camp counselor for the McChelle Joseph Specialty Camps. As a counselor, Mitchell helped organize daily activities and coached on-site competitions.

“I’m really excited and look forward to a great season,” Mitchell said. “I hope to do the best job I can and help the team improve.”

Mitchell, 25, received her degree from Georgia Tech in 2008 in business management.