Florida A&M Athletics chooses Brittney Johnson as their new Senior Associate Athletic Director or Compliance and SWA

Brittney Johnson, who has served in many roles in collegiate athletics over the past 14 years, joined Florida A&M Athletics on January 4, 2023, and will serve as the senior associate athletic director for compliance and senior woman administrator (SWA).

Before joining Florida A&M, Johnson served as the associate athletic director for student-athlete development and academic success at South Alabama for most of 2022. She joined South Alabama Athletics after spending nearly a decade at Prairie View A&M University, where she served in many roles. Johnson was responsible for ensuring compliance for the Panthers’ 18 Division I programs per NCAA, SWAC and PVAMU standards, while also overseeing the maintenance of the institution’s NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), Graduation Success Rate (GSR) reports, and the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program.

Johnson was elevated to associate athletic director for student-athlete support services in August 2016, garnering more responsibility in addressing annual academic reports submitted to the NCAA. During this time, she implemented numerous programs geared to the total student-athlete experience, including, but not limited to, the Panther Pride program and the Panther 3.0 Club. Under her tutelage, the Office of Athletic Compliance & Academic Services became one of the premier units in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, allowing her to serve as the conference’s Compliance Committee Chair from 2015-17.

She was named assistant athletic director for student-athlete support services the year prior. In addition to overseeing the athletic compliance area, she oversaw the athletic academic unit and student-athlete development efforts.

During this time, Johnson was instrumental in securing an additional $495,000 from the NCAA to supplement the athletic budget, which assisted in creating of the fueling station, the hiring of academic support graduate assistants, the purchase of laptops and portable Wi-Fi for student-athletes travel and the fifth-year financial aid program.

Johnson joined Prairie View A&M in April 2013 as an athletic compliance officer. She assisted compliance in the day-to-day operation of the compliance department with a primary focus on rules education efforts for faculty, staff, boosters, coaches, and student-athletes.

Before Prairie View A&M, Johnson began her career in athletic administration as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Alabama A&M University, where she worked her way up to assistant director of compliance. While at Alabama A&M, her responsibilities included initial eligibility, monitoring of playing and practice seasons, squad list management, official and unofficial visits, and she served as co-advisor to AAMU’s Student-Athlete-Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also worked closely with Alabama A&M’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to create the General Studies degree program.

Johnson is a native of Bessemer, Ala., where she was a two-sport athlete in basketball and softball at Jess Lanier High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health sciences from the University of Alabama in 2007, then her master’s degree from Alabama A&M in 2010. She is working on her doctorate from Walden University in higher education.

She is an active member of the National Association of Athletic Compliance (NAAC), where she is also a certified compliance officer, the National Association for Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals, Women Leaders in College Sports (WLCS), and Minority Opportunities Athletic Administration (MOAA). She is active on the national, conference, and institutional levels, serving on numerous committees and participating in workshops and speaking engagements. She is a graduate of the NCAA/NACWAA Institute for Administrative Advancement and the prestigious Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute (2017).

Johnson is the eldest daughter of Kenneth Sr., the late Vickie Johnson, and the adoptive daughter of the late Sgt. Major James Warmley, Jr. and Johnnie Mae. She is the oldest of three siblings, with two brothers.

New Head Coach, Erik Martin, chosen for South Carolina State Men’s Basketball

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Erik Martin, one of the top assistant coaches in Division I basketball, has been selected to lead the South Carolina State University men’s basketball program by Bulldogs Athletics Director Stacy L. Danley.

“Coach Martin is — without a doubt –a rising star in the men’s basketball coaching world,” Danley said. “He has an excellent pedigree after playing and working for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Huggins (at West Virginia University) and is well prepared to assume the position of head men’s basketball coach for our program.

“During the search process, Coach Martin exuded an infectious will to win and the ability to develop a culture where winning will be expected on and off the court,” the athletic director said. “I’m confident that he will represent our university in exemplary fashion, and we are undoubtedly well-positioned for success moving forward as one of college basketball’s elite programs under Martin’s leadership.
“I am absolutely thrilled for Erik to join Bulldog Athletics as we prepare to embark on the next chapter of our program,” Danley said.

Martin was named to The Athletic sports website’s list of “25 College Basketball Assistants Ready to Lead Their Own Program” in 2020 and “30 Coaches to Watch” in 2018.

Erik Martin
“I’m so excited to be the next head coach at South Carolina State,” Martin said. “It has always been my dream to lead a Division I program as well as guide young men on and off the court as they prepare to graduate and move on to the next phase of their lives. It’s a great day to be a Bulldog.”

With over 20 years of coaching experience, Martin is in his 17th season as a Division I coach. He most recently served 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Huggins at West Virginia.

As a Division I assistant, Martin has worked with numerous professional players, including five NBA players (All-American Kevin Jones, Joe Alexander, Devin Ebanks, Bill Walker, and Cartier Martin) as well as Derek Culver, Sagaba Konate, Devin Williams and John Flowers.

While at West Virginia in 2007, the Mountaineers won the 2010 Big East Championship and have advanced to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2010 Final Four and five NCAA Sweet 16s. Martin has helped guide the Mountaineers to 326 victories.

At West Virginia, Martin was responsible for post player development as well as assisting with game scouts, recruiting, along with scheduling, camps, fundraising and community appearances.
During Martin’s tenure in Morgantown, his impact has extended into the community:

From 2007-19, he organized the United Way Clinic in Fairmont, W.Va., which paired WVU newcomers with youth from the Fairmont area.

From 2016-18, he teamed with Nate Zinn and Donnie Tucker to host Mountaineer Days. This event linked the WVU men’s basketball team with youth from Fairmont and Morgantown in a day of multiple activities that benefited the youth as well as the WVU men’s basketball team.

In 2021, he established a non-profit foundation, Helping Hand Charities WV, a mission of aiding children from single-parent homes as well as underprivileged youth.

Coach Martin’s community involvement is a direct reflection of his passion for working with youth and connecting them with the WVU community.

Prior to West Virginia, Martin spent a year as an assistant at Kansas State with Huggins. Before that, he spent two years as an assistant coach at Cincinnati State and Technical College in Cincinnati for head coach Andre Tate from 2004-06.

In 2005-06, he helped the Surge post a 26-9 overall record en route to winning the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region XII District 7 tournament titles. The program advanced to the NJCAA Division II championship where it lost to eventual national runner-up Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College to finish fifth nationally.

Martin helped coach several outstanding players at Cincinnati State, including Cincinnati signee John Williamson, who was named a first team NJCAA All-American and the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Martin jumped into the coaching ranks at Jacobs Center High in Cincinnati, where he served as the junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach from 2003-04.

As a player, Martin signed with TCU out of high school and redshirted as a true freshman in 1989-90. He transferred to Santa Ana (California) Community College for one season before moving to Cincinnati the next two seasons. A standout power forward, Martin was a two-year letterman and one-year starter for Huggins at Cincinnati from 1991-93.

Martin helped the Bearcats to a combined 56-10 overall record en route to Final Four and Elite Eight appearances and back-to-back Great Midwest Conference regular season and tournament championships from 1991-93.

Playing with All-American Herb Jones and future NBA stars Corie Blount and Nick Van Exel, Martin helped Cincinnati to a 29-5 overall record and the 1992 NCAA Final Four.

In his senior year, Martin guided Cincinnati to the NCAA Tournament where the fourth-ranked Bearcats lost in overtime to eventual national champion North Carolina in the East Regional finals.

The team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, Martin led the Great Midwest Conference in field goal percentage and was named to the all-conference second team. He was a member of the league’s All-Tournament squad after guiding Cincinnati to its second straight title. Martin continued his stellar performance in the NCAA Tournament, where he was named to the East Regional all-tournament team.

Following his playing career at Cincinnati, Martin spent nine years playing professional basketball around the world, including a four-year stint with various franchises in the Continental Basketball Association and five years overseas.

In addition to his professional experience, Martin has also spent time with the U.S. National team, helping the squad to a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. Martin also assisted USA in winning the gold medal at the 1997 Tournament of the Americas.

Martin earned his associate of arts degree from Santa Ana Community College in 1990 and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Cincinnati in 1993.

A native of West Covina, California, Martin has three daughters, Amiyah, Eleyna and Erika. He married the former Anita Woodley in 2010.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball candidate searches at SC State were assisted by CarrSports Executive Search and Consulting.

CarrSports Congratulates Coach Tim Eatman being chosen as South Carolina State Women’s Basketball Coach

ORANGBURG, SC. –  Veteran coach and recruiter Timothy Eatman has been named the new South Carolina State head women’s basketball coach by Bulldogs Athletics Director Stacy L. Danley.

“After an extensive, comprehensive, and efficient national search, during which we had the privilege of speaking with an impressive group of coaching candidates, it became clear to the search committee that Coach Eatman was exactly what we needed in the next leader of our women’s basketball program,” Danley said. “He has a distinguished pedigree, having spent the last seven years under Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers.

“A proven recruiter, strong evaluator and an innovative teacher of the game, Coach Eatman has played an integral role in signing several top 10 national recruiting classes,” Danley said.

SC State introduced Eatman as the new Bulldogs head coach Tuesday at a news conference on campus. He thanked Danley and SC State President Alexander Conyers for the opportunity.

“I am so humbled to take on this role at this institution,” Eatman said. “I am honored to be returning to my roots at a HBCU. My father was a graduate from Stillman College. My mother graduated from Alabama State University, and I am a proud graduate of Talladega College where I began my coaching career.

“I am thrilled to be joining the staff at South Carolina State University. I am excited to build on the past women’s basketball success to create the  future,” he said. “As I take on this role I would encourage Bulldog nation to dream so big that you are afraid to say it out loud, because I am.”

During the 2018-19 season, Eatman stepped into the role of acting head coach for the final six games of the year, helping the Scarlet Knights to their highest ever Big 10 finish (third), as well as its first-ever Big 10 Tournament semifinal appearance. Under his guidance, Rutgers returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

In 2019-20, Eatman was promoted to the role of associate head coach, as Rutgers capped off their fifth 20-plus-win season during his tenure.

Eatman has prior head coaching experience at the University of Illinois at Chicago and his alma mater, Talladega College. Prior to arriving “On The Banks” at Rutgers, he served as the recruiting coordinator at Rhode Island. He was reunited with Stringer at Rutgers, having served with the Hall of Fame coach during her final season at Iowa in 1994-95, putting together the nation’s top ranked recruiting class.

Over the course of his career, Eatman has played a major role in bringing in 11 top 30 recruiting classes. He was recognized by Lindy’s Magazine as the nation’s top recruiter while he was at Iowa in 1994. Additionally, six of his former players have gone on to play at the next level in the WNBA, and 13 have joined the coaching ranks.

Following his collegiate playing days, Eatman began his coaching career as the head women’s coach at Talladega College, instantly turning around his alma mater’s program. After posting an 0-26 record prior to his appointment, the Tornadoes improved to a 20-9 ledger in 1989-90 under Eatman’s guidance.

Eatman made the move to the Division I level as an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 1990-92 and University of Houston from 1992-93. With the Cougars, he put together the No. 4 rated recruiting class in the country.

Joining Stringer at Iowa for the 1994-95 campaign, Eatman helped construct the top-ranked recruiting class that featured the nation’s top point guard, Nadine Domond, 1995 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Tiffany Gooden, and 1998 Big Ten Player of the Year Tangela Smith.

Eatman had two stints at Kansas, serving as an assistant from 1996-98 and again from 2002-04. He helped the Jayhawks win the Big 12 title in 1997 and reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1998. He was the position coach for Kodak All-American and first-round WNBA pick Tamecka Dixon during the 1996-97 season.

In between his two turns as a member of the Jayhawks’ staff, Eatman was at the helm of the Illinois-Chicago program. During his four seasons with the Flames, he brought in two top 20 recruiting classes and recorded the program’s highest win total in seven seasons.

Eatman’s career continued at Louisville from 2004-07, where he helped the Cardinals reach three-straight NCAA Tournaments and was involved in the recruitment of eventual BIG EAST Player of the Year Angel McCoughtry.

He also spent four seasons as the associate head coach at Arkansas from 2007-2011. While with the Razorbacks, Eatman was the team’s defensive coordinator as they set the school record for fewest points allowed in an SEC contest — 42 against Mississippi State.

Making the move to the Northeast, Eatman spent one season at Boston College and was elevated to interim head coach for the end of the 2011-12 season. He then joined head coach Daynia La-Force’s staff at Northeastern in 2013 and followed her when she took over the top position at Rhode Island in 2014.

On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., SC State will announce the new men’s head basketball coach in a news conference on campus. Both the men’s and women’s basketball candidate searches at SC State were assisted by CarrSports Executive Search and Consulting.

Lamar University Welcomes O’Malley as New Director of Athletics

BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University President Jaime Taylor announced today the selection of Jeff O’Malley as the university’s new Director of Athletics. O’Malley joins the Cardinal family after a highly successful 20-year tenure at Marshall University serving as the Associate Director of Athletics/Chief of Staff and liaison to the university’s General Counsel.
Taylor states, “Jeff O’Malley is a trusted collaborator who understands it takes all facets of a university to support student-athletes. He established very positive relationships with faculty and with academic affairs at Marshall University and has an absolutely stellar reputation for ensuring student-athletes are successful in the classroom as well as on the field of play.”

O’Malley will take the reins of Lamar University Athletics effective July 1 and the university will introduce the new AD at a press conference on Friday, June 17 at 11 a.m. in the Lamar University Dauphin Athletic Complex.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to lead Lamar University Athletics. This is a program with a proud tradition of excellence, and we will do all we can to make it even better both in the classroom and in competition,” O’Malley said. “I met many great people through this process, and I would like to thank Dean Spina and Don Shaver for their work co-chairing the search committee. I also would like to thank President Taylor for providing me with the opportunity to work with him again and share his vision for Lamar University. I am looking forward to meeting our student-athletes, collaborating with the campus community and working with our coaches and staff to provide a first-class student-athlete experience.”

O’Malley comes to Beaumont with a long-standing history of overseeing many facets of the Marshall University Athletics program including men’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s golf and baseball, as well as the department’s academics and compliance offices. In July 2021, he was named interim athletics director for Marshall University Athletics. During his tenure as interim athletic director, he successfully navigated conference realignment and negotiated Marshall’s move to the Sun Belt Conference, in addition to leading the department through the challenges of COVID-19 and a transition in university leadership.

In August 2021, O’Malley was also named NCAA Secretary Rules Editor for Men’s Basketball. This is a role he will begin Sept. 1 in addition to his duties as Athletic Director.

In recent years, both the Marshall men’s basketball program and the men’s soccer program reached the NCAA tournament, the former of which snapped a three-decade NCAA tournament drought, and the latter of which won the 2020 NCAA National Championship defeating Indiana 1-0 in overtime. In 2017-18, the men’s basketball program won the Conference USA championship and upset No. 4 seed Wichita State in the first round of the NCAA tournament to capture the program’s first NCAA win.

Taylor said O’Malley was instrumental in cultivating a winning culture in athletics at Marshall University and has an unwavering commitment to student-athlete well-being. “He worked behind the scenes to ensure all the pieces came together. The student-athletes and coaches knew they were supported, which inspired a level of confidence and camaraderie that wins championships.”

During his tenure, O’Malley developed partnerships with several outside vendors in an effort to educate, protect and empower student-athletes as they navigated name, image and likeness. He also collaborated with the Student Affairs Office to appoint two mental health specialists to support student-athlete well-being.

“I am very excited not only for Jeff, but for Lamar University. He is an outstanding college administrator and he was very instrumental in all the athletic success we had here at Marshall University,” said Mike Hamrick, former director of athletics at Marshall University. “We won a lot of championships, we built a lot of facilities and most importantly, we graduated a lot of student-athletes and Mr. O’Malley was a big part of that. I have no doubt he will bring a vision to Lamar University that will enhance and take your intercollegiate athletic program to a high level.”

O’Malley came to Marshall University after serving as Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for six years at the University of Massachusetts. In addition to his time at Massachusetts, he also served as Compliance Coordinator at the University of Dayton from 1994-96, he serves on the board of directors of the Marshall University Child Development Academy and was a member of the Southeastern Babe Ruth Board of Directors. He also served two terms on the board of directors of the United Way of the River Cities, was a member of the National Association of Sports Officials and has worked as a college basketball official for 24 years. A 1990 graduate of Miami (Ohio) with a degree in Accounting, O’Malley received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Dayton in 1994 and is a member of the Ohio Bar.

Today’s announcement follows a nation-wide search that began in April with CarrSports Consulting, LLC leading the search process and a search committee comprised of Lamar University administrations, faculty, staff and alumni who are an integral part of the Beaumont community.

“We were honored to have LU alumni David Bernsen, Jerry Dearing, David Montagne, Glen Morgan, and Don Shaver on the search committee. This caliber of business leaders on the committee helped us to attract a candidate with Jeff’s sterling credentials,” Taylor said. “I am grateful that Don Shaver and our faculty athletic representative, Dean Robert Spina, agreed to co-chair the committee. Both perspectives are vitally important if we want collegiate athletics to strengthen the bond between Lamar University and southeast Texas.”

Spina, who serves as dean of the LU College of Education and Human Development, said the committee worked diligently, enthusiastically and responsibly to sort through a strong pool of candidates in a short amount of time. “It was a privilege for me to co-chair this search committee with my good friend Don Shaver –– the quality of the applicant pool was incredibly strong due to the draw of Lamar University and the efforts of CarrSports Consulting. We are delighted to welcome Jeff O’Malley as our new athletic director. The experience and expertise he brings is exactly what LU needs at this time. We wholeheartedly welcome Jeff to the Cardinal family!”

Beaumont community leader Senator David Bernsen expressed his gratitude for serving on the search committee and said Lamar University plays a key role in Beaumont with athletics being a crucial link between LU and the community.

“As a student athlete, I benefitted from the important connections between LU and our local business community and am pleased to have participated in extending that legacy through the selection of Jeff O’Malley as our next athletics director,” he said. “The commitment and concern that each member of the search committee devoted to the process is evident by the outcome of the committee’s work. We were pleased to present to President Taylor four strong candidates from which he and his leadership team selected our new AD. As a life-long Cardinal fan, I look forward to working with Jeff O’Malley to elevate LU athletics to the next level.”