Whitney Bays is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Gardner-Webb women's basketball program.
“We are proud to bring a coach with Whitney’s background of success into our program,” said head coach Alex Simmons. “Her accomplishments on the court speak for themselves and her ability to relate to young people will benefit our team immediately.”
Bays will begin her college coaching career with the Runnin’ Bulldogs after serving as an assistant coach at her alma mater – Huntington (WVa.) High – since 2019. She joined the coaching ranks following a professional career that took her to Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Russia and Puerto Rico for three seasons.
Bays’ credentials as a player bring her immediate clout as a coach. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection at Purdue, earning second-team honors as a senior after putting up averages of 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. She recorded 15 double-doubles for the Boilermakers that season.
She was voted as the league’s top reserve in 2014 en route to second-team All-Conference honors. She posted 12.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and recorded eight double-doubles. Her career rebounding average of 8.9 boards per game set a new Purdue record.
Bays started her career at the University of Maryland, where she saw action in 26 games from 2010-2012. She helped the Terps to an ACC Championship and a spot in the Elite Eight.
A decorated prep career saw Bays earn West Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year award twice and All-State honors three times. She averaged 24.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as a senior and was ranked as high as the No. 13 player in her graduating class nationally by ESPN. She was rated as the nation’s No. 3 forward prospect in the Class of 2009.
Bays earned degrees in sociology and business from Purdue in 2015. She has a six-year old daughter, Nyla Bays.
