Cross Adds Three Assistants To Coaching Staff

Murray State Women's Basketball Coach Rob Cross has completed the hiring of three assistant coaches.

Carol Duncan, Ashley Brooke Hayes, and Victoria Jones join the Racer coaching staff.

"When beginning the search for our coaching staff my immediate concern was to make certain that we bring in the best people to help our current student-athletes achieve their goals,” Cross said. “We were looking to bring in people with great energy and personality that would fit in well with the Racer family and we've done that.”

“In bringing these three to our family we have a staff with diverse backgrounds and personalities that mesh well together,” Cross added. “They will work well with our current team and will continue to attract the very best prospective student-athletes to Murray State University."

Duncan brings high-level experience.

Duncan comes to MSU after spending two years on the coaching staff at Big Ten Conference member Northwestern University. Prior to her coaching stint at Northwestern, Duncan played at national powerhouse Purdue University from 2002-2006. The Nappanee, Ind., native was a four-year forward for the Boilermakers and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten performer. She played in 122 games during that span as the Boilermakers made the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years in West Lafayette, including two appearances in the Sweet 16 and one trip to the Elite Eight.

"Carol brings to the table valuable experience having played and coached in the Big Ten, she played for one the top coaches in the game at Purdue in Kristy Curry,” Cross said. “Carol has experienced great success as a player and will bring that experience to the court working with our post players."

Duncan earned her bachelor's degree in English and minors in Communications, Psychology, History and Women's Studies from Purdue. She is just shy of earning a master's degree in Sports Administration at Northwestern, needing only to finish her thesis.

From her first meeting with her new boss, Duncan found it easy to make comparisons between Kristy Curry and Rob Cross.

"Their demeanor and how good of a person they are," Duncan said, citing similarities between the two. "You can feel their energy and soul when you talk to them and you know they are good people, care about the players, and are going to take care of everyone involved in the program. They may overextend themselves sometimes, but that's just because they want to do the best they can to help the people helping them."

Those qualities rubbed off on Duncan immediately, giving her no reason not to hit the ground running.

"I hope I can contribute as much as I can to the program," she said. "I know Coach Cross' energy and passion and love for this program and university rubs off on you very quickly. It seeps into you when you come into contact with him and when you talk to him.”

"It's one of those things when you meet someone so dedicated to everything do, that you want to be involved as much,” Duncan added. “This is such an amazing program and awesome environment, I just know coming here I'm going to be working with amazing people and hopefully I can contribute to their lives like they are mine."

Victoria Jones brings experience of being a head coach.

Jones comes to MSU after being the head coach at Cincinnati State the past two seasons. She coached the Lady Surge to a 15-10 regular season record in her first season, this coming on the heels of having just six players. In her second season, she led Cincinnati State to a 22-9 record.

She played for St. Catharine Community College, located in central Kentucky, for two years before transferring to Dayton. Jones played prep ball at Patterson High School, located in Dayton as well.

"Victoria is someone I recruited when she was playing point guard at St. Catherine Community College and gained a great deal of respect for her competitive nature during that time,” Cross said. “She has great energy and is a tireless worker. Her successful experience as a head coach and player at various levels will be a great benefit to our program."

The excitement of winning, as she did at Cincinnati State, made it hard for Jones to step down, but the idea of being able to teach and instruct at a higher level was even more appetizing.

"Whenever you can win at a school, obviously you want to continue that, but I saw this as a greater opportunity in my career,” Jones said. “I really just wanted to take my skills and ability as a teacher and coach to another level."

"I'm excited about being here, mostly because of the warm welcome from the community and I'm looking forward to continuing the winning tradition that they have established here at Murray State,” Jones added. “I am really going to enjoy working with Coach Cross with his energetic spirit and willingness to always be on top in everything he is involved in."

Ashley Brooke Hayes brings former player experience.

When Ashley Hayes was a student-athlete at Murray State, it was necessary to use her middle name, Brooke, to separate her from teammate Ashley Nichole Hayes. The two reunite on the court after a one-year hiatus that Ashley Brooke Hayes spent as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. However, for Hayes, she is making a trip to the only other place she can call home that does not have a Kokomo, Ind., 46902 zip code.

A Racer standout from 2003 to 2007, Hayes left MSU holding the school's all-time lead in career three-point field goals and shares the single game record. After serving one year under Lynn Agee at North Carolina-Greensboro, Hayes returns to the RSEC where she played for four seasons.

"Having a former player on my staff is exciting,” Cross said. “Ashley is going to be invaluable to our student-athletes as she knows what I expect and my personality. She will also be able to speak with recruits and their families about MSU from the viewpoint of a Racer and will no doubt convey the love she has for this university and our program."

"I am very excited to be back in Murray and be a part of Coach Cross' first staff," Hayes said. "This is home, it's not Kokomo, but this is where I grew up."

A feather in Cross' cap is the fact that unlike any other assistant, Hayes is very well aware of what it takes to be successful in the OVC and can lend a helping hand in recruiting for Murray State.

"Having played in this conference, I know the style of play and I know the university and Coach Cross," she said.

Cross is excited to have his staff in place so attention can turn to trying to win the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship and defending their OVC Tournament title.

"As a staff we're looking forward to working together to ensure our student-athletes leave Murray State University with a degree in one hand and a championship ring on the other," Cross said.

Murray State University Athletics

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