Briona Brown enters her third season as an assistant coach for Jacksonville Women's Basketball, after she excelled for four years for the program from 2012-16.
Brown helped the Dolphins to a four-game improvement, three in conference play, from year one to year two under head coach Darnell Haney. Known for her on floor leadership and versatility, she has passed that along to the young frontcourt that she has tutored the last two seasons.
She returned to her alma mater after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla. During her time with the Royals, she was responsible for the holistic development of Warner’s post players, individual skill development, and overseeing the team’s academic progress.
“Briona is smart, relatable, and passionate about all aspects of the profession. She poured her heart and soul into this program as a player and I’ve watched her have that same passion in working to develop her craft as a coach. Briona has the “It” factor, and is a phenomenal addition to our staff,” stated Haney.
A former standout for the Dolphins from 2012-16, Briona Brown earned back-to-back ASUN Conference All-Tournament Team honors in 2015 and 2016, and was a 2016 All-ASUN Second Team selection. Behind her leadership on the court as a senior and team captain, the Dolphins won the 2016 ASUN Tournament and earned the program’s first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. She still ranks among the program’s leaders in points with 1,215 (5th all-time), rebounds with 650 (5th all-time), blocks with 82 (6th all-time), and steals with 134 (10th all-time).
Following her collegiate career at Jacksonville, Briona Brown became one of two Dolphins to play professionally overseas when she inked a deal in September 2017 with SBS Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
“Words can’t express how thankful I am for this opportunity,” Briona Brown stated. “I started my basketball career here and it’s such a blessing to come back home as an assistant. I’d like to thank Coach Haney for this opportunity, and I hope that I can sow into this program what he and others have sowed into me. I am going to help develop these young ladies to be the best versions of themselves, both on and off the court.”
