Temple University Women's Basketball

Diane Richardson was named the 21st head women's basketball head coach of Temple University on April 5, 2022. In her fourth season at Temple, Richardson led ...

Aaron Thomas joined the Temple women's basketball team as the video coordinator in April of 2022. Previously, Thomas worked as the acting director of basketball operations at Towson after he was promoted to head student manager and video coordinator prior to the start of the 2020-21 season. In the role, he filmed and edited highlights and helped record practices and games. He also captured photos and produced documentary films. Thomas began his career at Towson after joining the program in 2018 as a scout team player and student manager. He performed tasks such as setting up the locker room and court, bus unloading, equipment organization and aiding with practices and bench management. Before coming to Towson, Thomas played basketball at Albright College (2014-15) and then Montgomery College (2015-16). At Montgomery, he helped his team to win the MDJUCO Championship, their first title since 1992. He graduated from Montgomery in 2017 with an Associate of Arts Degree in Mass Communications. Thomas graduated from Towson in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Media & Film.

Cheyenne Curley enters her fourth season with Temple women's basketball after joining the program as an assistant coach in April 2022. During Coach Curley’s ...

Demi Washington joined Temple Women's Basketball in 2023 after a standout playing career at Vanderbilt University. A four-year scholarship athlete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Demi brought leadership, athleticism, and academic excellence to the court throughout her collegiate career. Demi competed in 120 career games, making over 50 starts during her time with the Commodores. She was known for her defensive tenacity and versatility on the wing. Over her collegiate career, she totaled 423 points, 250 rebounds, 93 steals, and 55 assists. As a junior, she shot an impressive 45.1% from the field, and as a senior, she shot 38.9% from three-point range. One of her most notable performances came against USC Upstate during the 2022–23 season, when she recorded 13 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Demi was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in both the 2021–22 and 2020–21 seasons. She also earned a place on the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2019–20, demonstrating her dedication to academic success alongside her athletic commitments. Using her final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer, Demi started every game for the Owls. She averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds per game and played a key role in leading Temple to the 2023–24 American Athletic Conference Championship. The team finished the season with an impressive 13–5 conference record. Following her playing career, Demi served as the Graduate External for Temple Women's Basketball during the 2024–25 season. In

Kristy Bannon was promoted to Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Student Affairs in August 2022. This is the fourth promotion for Bannon, who has worked in compliance and student services for Temple Athletics since 2008. She has recently served in the role of Senior Associate AD/Compliance & Student-Athlete Affairs since July 2017. In her role, she oversees all aspects of the department's compliance efforts with conference and NCAA rules and regulations. She works to educate coaches, administrators and student-athletes in regards to new rules and regulations as well as the processing of NCAA and conference waivers on behalf of student-athletes. She also oversees all student-athlete welfare and life skill development programming which includes the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Student-Athlete Affairs Program. Also the varsity sport administrator for women's gymnastics and women's lacrosse, she continues to serve as the liaison with the University's Student Affairs Office. First promoted from compliance coordinator to assistant director in 2013, she was elevated again in 2015 to Associate Athletic Director status. The Wilkes-Barre, Pa. native started her career at Temple as the department's graduate extern while pursuing a master's degree in sport and recreation administration. She is a 2008 graduate of Rosemont College with a bachelor's degree in history and earned her master's degree in sports administration from Temple Univer

LaKaitlin brings a dynamic blend of experience in operations, recruiting, and student-athlete support to the Owls. Most recently, she served as Director of Recruiting and Program Operations at the University of Memphis, where she played a key role in team travel coordination, orchestrated impactful recruiting visits, and boosted alumni and donor engagement by 50%. She was instrumental in helping to restore a culture of leadership, service, and inclusion. Before her time at Memphis, LaKaitlin served as a Graduate Assistant at Clemson University, where she contributed to academic support, day-to-day program logistics, and on-court preparation. A former team captain at Towson University, she led by example on the court while advocating for student-athletes off it—serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and advancing wellness and DEI initiatives. LaKaitlin holds a master's degree in Athletic Leadership from Clemson University and a bachelor's degree in Gerontology from Towson University. She is an alumna of the WBCA's "So You Want to Be a Coach" program, a 2023 USA Basketball Mentorship Program participant, and a 2024 Rising Star Honoree recognized by Women Leaders in Sports.

Myles Jackson was named assistant coach of Temple women's basketball in April 2022. During Coach Jackson’s second year at Temple, he helped lead the team to the 2023-2024 American Athletic Championship. The Owl’s finished the season with a conference record of 13-5. Jackson enters his first season at Temple following one season as an acting assistant coach at Towson University. Before being promoted to assistant coach, Jackson spent two seasons as the director of basketball operations for Towson after serving as the assistant director of basketball operations for the 2018-19 season. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers 2019-20 schedule was cut short. In the 2020-21 season, Jackson coordinated effort to keep the team safe and healthy while playing at SECU Arena and on the road. He crafted travel plans and schedules while adhering to COVID-19 testing protocols and unique other measures put into place. In the 2019-20 season, Jackson coordinated all schedules for the team and coaching staff. Jackson constructed travel itineraries and schedules for longer trips to San Diego and Puerto Rico, along with the conference schedule. As an undergraduate at the university, Jackson was a scout team player and student manager for the team for four years. He assisted with the scouting and film breakdown for game preparations, as well as day-to-day management of team activities assisting the director of basketball operations.

Shelby Bailey-Smiley enters her first season as the Assistant Director of Women's Basketball Operations after being hired in August of 2022. Bailey-Smiley comes to Temple most recently from Towson where she worked as a student manager for the women's basketball team under Head Coach Diane Richardson for the 2021-22 season. As a manager, she performed traditional managerial duties such as management of equipment and uniforms, facilitated game day preparation and led warmups, and helped coordinate travel plans and meals. That same year, Bailey-Smiley worked as a media relations intern for Towson Athletics where she designed and monitored the Towson women's basketball Twitter account. She assisted with the coordination of social media and other gameday operations including press conferences and the communication of statistics. During this time, Bailey-Smiley collaborated with the Towson Athletics communication directors to assist with game day operations during the CAA Volleyball and Soccer Championships and assisted with media relations during the 2021 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship Weekend. Before her professional career began, Bailey-Smiley received her bachelor's degree in sport management from Towson University in August of 2022.

Former Temple women's basketball standout Shenita Landry (2005-09) was named Director of Player Personnel for the program on May 30, 2023. Landry appeared in...

Tim Teefy joined the Temple Athletics staff as the Head Olympic Strength & Conditioning Coach in January 2015. His position became Director of Olympic Sports...

Wanesha Smith came to Temple in 2022 after a brief hiatus from coaching while pursuing opportunities outside of sports. In the basketball world, she most recently served as an assistant coach at Duke during the 2019-2020 season. During Coach Smith’s second year at Temple, she helped lead the team to the 2023-24 American Athletic Championship, as the Owls finished the season with a conference record of 13-5. In addition, she was named to the ABIS Black Coaches Watchlist. Smith spent time on Coach Richardson’s coaching staff at Towson from 2017-19. During her time with the program, she helped Coach Richardson lead the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Before Towson, Smith was an assistant with the Longwood University women’s basketball program for seven years. While at Longwood, Smith held a wide range of duties, including guard coach, recruiting, community service coordinator, and travel/facility liaison. Before entering coaching, Smith was a highly successful player. The former point guard was drafted 27th overall in the 2008 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty before being traded to the Detroit Shock. Smith played her college ball at Duke, where she set the program record for assists by a first-year student (154) and was a four-time ACC Rookie of the Week. Over her four years in Durham, the Blue Devils tallied a 119-15 record while Smith scored 1,256 career points and passed for 496 career assists. Her assists placed her 5th record in D