Coaching Staff

Kim McNeill
Head Coach

Kim McNeill heads into her fifth season at the helm after agreeing to contract terms to become head women’s basketball coach at East Carolina University on March 28, 2019. On April 28, 2023, McNeill agreed to a contract extension securing her position through the 2026-27 season.

McNeill's fourth season was a breakout for the Pirates which saw the head coach named AAC Coach of the Year while leading the team to a 23-10 record and a third-place finish in the conference in the regular season. The team then made a run, winning three games in three days to claim the 2023 AAC Tournament Championship and the third NCAA Tournament bid in program history where the Pirates earned a 13-seed and traveled to Austin to play the No. 4-seed Texas Longhorns. In the AAC Championship Game, the Pirates trailed Houston by as many as 11 after scoring just two points in the first quarter before clawing back using their defense and timely transition offense to claim the 46-44 win.

Under McNeill's tuteledge on the year, Danae McNeal was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player and Amiya Joyner was named Freshman of the Year while torching the program record books. Synia Johnson was named AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and Amiya Joyner was named to the All-Tournament Team. McNeill's group also played their classic signature defense, breaking program records for single season steals (428), turnovers forced (790) and scoring defense (56.7). The Pirates also finished nationally ranked in several categories, finishing third in steals per game, fifth in turnover margin, third in turnovers forced per game and 24th in scoring defense.

In McNeill's third season, Taniyah Thompson was named the AAC Most Improved Player in addition to earning conference First-Team honors.

McNeill’s second season at the helm once again saw the Pirates near the top of the country in steals. East Carolina checked in at fifth in steals per game, grabbing 12.1 per game. The Pirates were also seventh in the NCAA in turnovers forced (22.05) and 13th in turnover margin (+6.23). The Pirates finished sixth in the AAC, their highest finish in the league since finishing in fifth in 2014-15.

McNeill once again saw Lashonda Monk earn AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors under her tutelage. Monk became the first player in AAC history to not only win consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards, but the first to ever win it a second time. Monk finished the season leading the AAC and ranking 13th in the country in steals per game at 2.95 per game, earning AAC Second-Team All-Conference honors as well. Dominique Claytor was also in the top-35 of the country in steals per game, ranking 33rd with 2.64.

In McNeill’s first season in Greenville, the Pirates made history on the defensive end. ECU finished second in the country in steals (407), steals per game (13.6) and turnovers forced (24.10) as well as third in turnover margin (+8.13).The 407 steals by ECU were both a school record and both Lashonda Monk (third) and Dominique Claytor (14th) finished in the top-14 of the nation in steals.

Under McNeill’s guidance, Monk put together one of the best individual seasons in ECU history. The junior guard finished the season with 125 steals, breaking both the ECU and the AAC single-season record and finishing third in the NCAA. Monk became the first ECU player to win the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award and was named Second-Team All-AAC. Monk also made history by breaking the ECU career steals record as well as becoming the 23rd Pirate to reach the 1,000 career points plateau.

Along with Monk, Taniyah Thompson also earned postseason honors, becoming a unanimous selection to the AAC All-Rookie team after leading all AAC freshmen in scoring, minutes and steals. It was just the third time that ECU has had multiple postseason honorees since moving to the AAC in 2014.

Prior to arriving at ECU, the Bassett, Va., native led Hartford to consecutive America East Conference Championship game appearances and three-straight winning seasons. She owns a 59-38 (.608) record in three seasons directing the Hawks, producing a winning record in all three campaigns.

Coming off a successful three-year tenure at Hartford, McNeill led the Hawks back to the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Hawks made history when they became the first-ever No. 6 seed to reach the America East title contest in 2018 before returning as finalists in 2019. McNeill’s last game on the Hartford bench was a first-round setback to Providence in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).

Defense has been a hallmark for McNeill’s teams as the 2018-19 Hawks finished the year second in the NCAA in steals per game (13.0), turnovers forced (24.5) and turnover margin (9.35). It was the third-straight season that UHART had ranked in the top-10 in both steals and turnover margin.

Offensively, McNeill helped rewrite the school record books. In each of her final two seasons, the Hawks dished out more than 400 assists - including a school-record 441 in 2017-18. Its 66.8 scoring average topped all America East squads in 2016-17 and set a new program standard. In addition, Hartford led the America East in three-point shooting percentage (.345) and had the fewest turnovers in program history during McNeill’s debut campaign.

McNeill mentored 12 America East All-Conference selections, including 2018 America East Scholar-Athlete Lindsey Abed and 2017 Rookie-of-the-Year Sierra DaCosta.

Prior to accepting the Hawks’ top women’s basketball position, McNeill spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach at the Division I level. She distinguished herself as an effective and successful recruiter and coach while working in some of the NCAA’s top conferences, including the ACC, SEC, Pac-12 and Atlantic-10.

McNeill came to Hartford after spending five seasons on Joanne Boyle’s staff at the University of Virginia, starting as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013. She helped pilot the program to three WNIT appearances, including back-to-back berth in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Cavaliers posted a 90-71 record during her five-year stint, which included the program’s first 25-win season since 1999-00 (in 2011-12).

Virginia was the third stop in which McNeill had worked alongside Boyle, having previously served as an assistant on her staff at the University of Richmond (2004-05) and at the University of California (2005-07). Prior to rejoining Boyle’s staff at Virginia, she spent four seasons under Andy Landers at the University of Georgia from 2007 to 2011.

McNeill started her career at James Madison where she worked for three overall seasons (2000-01 and 2002-04). Between the two stints at JMU, she served as an assistant at Howard University for one year.

McNeill was a three-year letterwinner and co-captain at Richmond, where she received her bachelor’s degree in sport science in 2000.

On the court, she was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team as a senior. Prior to transferring to Richmond, she earned 1996 Big South Conference Rookie-of-the-Year honors at Radford.

McNeill and her husband, Cory McNeill, are the parents of twins, Cayden and Gabrielle.

Cory McNeill
Associate Head Coach

Cory McNeill enters his fifth year as Associate Head Coach of the ECU women’s basketball team after being hired on April 12, 2019. McNeill, who is the husband of head coach Kim McNeill, served in the same role at the University of Hartford.

McNeill's fourth season marked an historic campaign for the Pirates with a 23-10 record and an AAC Tournament Championship. The Pirates defeated Houston 46-44 in the AAC Title Game before facing No. 4-seed Texas in Austin in the NCAA Tournament. The team found individual success in addition to the team success with Danae McNeal earning Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player honors, Amiya Joyner being named Freshman of the Year and Synia Johnson being named AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

McNeill temporarily stepped up to head coaching duties in ECU’s win over Temple as head coach Kim McNeill missed the game due to a death in her family. Cory helped guide the Pirates to a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Owls as ECU rallied from a 17-point deficit.

Under McNeill’s guidance, Monk put together one of the best individual seasons in ECU history. The junior guard finished the season with 125 steals, breaking both the ECU and the AAC single-season record and finishing third in the NCAA. Monk became the first ECU player to win the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award and was named Second-Team All-AAC. Along with Monk, Tanyiah Thompson also earned postseason honors, becoming a unanimous selection to the AAC All-Rookie team after leading all AAC freshmen in scoring, minutes and steals. It was just the third time that ECU has had multiple postseason honorees since moving to the AAC in 2014.

During his three years in Hartford, McNeill helped the Hawks improve their win total in each successive season, culminating in a 23-11 mark in 2018-19 and the program’s first appearance in the WNIT since 2013. The 23 wins were the highest total for a Hartford squad since the 2009-10 season.

Working primarily in developing the Hawks’ guards, Hartford’s backcourt was one of the most productive in the America East under his guidance. That work was evident as four guards received All-Conference distinction from the league, including Sierra DaCosta, who became the program’s first Rookie of the Year winner since 2005-06.

McNeill also tutored Lindsey Abed who became the first America East First-Team All-Conference selection since 2009-10, Alexia Douglas who earned the league’s 2018-19 Sixth-Man-of-the-Year Award and Jade Young who was chosen as Second-Team All-Conference.

McNeill’s role with coaching the guards was once again noticeable in 2018-19, as Hartford set new program records on both the offensive and defensive ends. For the third consecutive season, the Hawks finished in the top-10 in the country in steals and turnovers forced. Hartford set a new program record with 441 steals, placing the Hawks second in the NCAA last season.

Under McNeill’s tutelage, the Hawks produced one of the best offenses in Hartford history. Hartford nailed 218 threes, a new program standard and Abed was one of the top scorers in the America East, averaging 14.6 points. The Hawks averaged 63.7 points as a team, ranking them in the top-three of the conference.

McNeill continued to help develop the guards in 2017-18, as Hartford broke the program record for steals for the second consecutive season with 399. The Hawks also finished the season ranked among the NCAA's top-10 in several defensive categories, including steals (5th), steals per game (6th) turnover margin (7th) and turnovers forced (8th).

In 2016-17, under McNeill’s guidance, the Hawks were a dangerous threat from three-point land. Finishing as the top three-point shooting squad in the America East, Hartford made the third-most three-pointers in program history (199) and posted the school’s second-highest shooting percentage from behind the arc last year.

In addition to contributing to an offense that led the America East and broke the program’s scoring record, McNeill’s guards were also a major factor in the Hawks’ success defensively. Hartford shattered the program record in steals and ranked No. 5 in the nation in steals per game.

McNeill came to Hartford after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia. At Virginia, McNeill and his wife served on Joanne Boyle’s staff, where they helped the Cavaliers to a 90-71 record and three WNIT appearances, including back-to-back berths in 2015 and 2016.

Prior to joining the staff at Virginia, McNeill served as an assistant coach at Georgetown from 2007-11. During that time, the Baltimore, Md., native helped the Hoyas to one of the nation’s most impressive turnarounds, earning back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths for the first time in program history in 2010 and 2011.

In addition, with McNeill’s prowess as a defensive coach, Georgetown became one of the nation’s leaders in forced turnovers and defensive field goal percentage.

McNeill’s coaching career began at Coppin State. In five seasons, he led the Eagles to two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships, three regular-season MEAC Championships, two NCAA Tournament berths and a WNIT appearance.

McNeill played college basketball at Morgan State, where he received his bachelor’s degree in finance in 2002, and went on to earn his master’s degree in public administration in 2005 from the University of Baltimore.

McNeill and his wife, head coach Kim McNeill, are the parents of twins, Cayden and Gabrielle.

Jeffrey Williams
Assistant Coach

Jeff Williams was named an assistant coach for the East Carolina women's basketball program on July 13, 2022.

Williams' first season in Greenvile was an historic one with the Pirates winning the most games in program history (23) while winning the AAC Tournament Championship and earning the program's third NCAA Tournament bid. The team found individual success in addition to the team success with Danae McNeal earning Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player honors, Amiya Joyner being named Freshman of the Year and Synia Johnson being named AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

A veteran in the ranks, Williams owns over 30 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as the associate head coach at Stony Brook University.

"I am extremely excited to add Jeff to our family," said Head Coach Kim McNeill. "He's a veteran coach that has been successful everywhere he's been. Jeff has a reputation of being a great recruiter, but he also has a passion for developing young people. Jeff will be a great addition to our staff!"

In four seasons at Stony Brook, Williams helped the Seawolves to an 89-23 record, an NCAA Tournament appearance, two America East Conference Tournament championships and the school's first-ever America East Conference regular season title.

The historic 2019-20 campaign saw Stony Brook post a 28-3 overall record and 14-2 mark in league play. After downing ACC opponent Pitt in December and touting the nation's longest active win streak (22), the team started garnering votes in the national polls for the first time ever.

Williams helped develop Stony Brook's five all-conference selections that season, including first team honoree India Pagan. He was also instrumental in helping all-defensive team pick Cheyenne Clark have a record-breaking final season, shattering the program standard in single-season offensive rebounds.

In William's first season in 2018-19, the Seawolves earned a 23-8 (11-5, AE) record with a conference tournament semifinals appearance. Stony Brook touted two first team all-conference selections that year in senior guards Shania Johnson and Jerell Matthews. The team also broke two program records in single-season 3-pointers and assists and earned its first victory over a Power Five opponent.

Prior to his stint at Stony Brook, Williams was the women's basketball head coach at La Salle University from 2010-18. He was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2017, helping the Explorers complete their biggest single-season turnaround in school history. He helped guide the program to four Atlantic 10 postseason victories, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Atlantic 10 Championships on four separate occasions.

Before joining LaSalle, Williams spent seven seasons at the University of Pittsburgh as Associate Head Women's Basketball Coach from 2003-10. He helped lead the Panthers to five-straight seasons with a postseason appearance, including three NCAA Tournament trips and two Sweet Sixteen showings (2008, 2009).

Williams has also served as an assistant women's basketball coach at Howard (1995-2000) and Georgia Tech (2001-03). Before joining the Howard staff, he served as a men's basketball assistant coach at George Mason (1989-93) and South Carolina State (1987-89).

In total, Williams has recruited six players that have reached the WNBA, including Pittsburgh All-American and 2009 WNBA All-Rookie Team honoree Shavonte Zellous. Three of his recruiting classes have been ranked in the top 15 nationally.

Tamoria Holmes
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

Tamoria Holmes joined the East Carolina women's basketball team as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in June 2021.

In Holmes' second season in Greenville, the Pirates experienced a breakout season, winning the AAC Tournament Championship while finishing with a program-record tying 23 wins and making the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in program history. The team found individual success in addition to the team success with Danae McNeal earning Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player honors, Amiya Joyner being named Freshman of the Year and Synia Johnson being named AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

Holmes arrived in Greenville after four seasons on staff at her alma mater, Howard University. Along with her duties as assistant coach, Holmes served as recruiting coordinator for the Bison. During her four seasons, Holmes helped lead the Bison to record highs. During the 2020-21 season, Holmes helped guide Howard to a 15-4 record, setting a new school-record with a .824 winning percentage (14-3) during the regular season, as well as earning the No. 1 seed in the MEAC Championship and reaching the league’s championship game. It was the third consecutive season that Howard has finished with a winning record under Holmes’ watch.

Holmes was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 for the 2019-20 campaign. She has helped tutor six different Howard players to a combined 11 postseason honors, including Jayla Thornton earning the 2020-21 MEAC Player of the Year award and Anzhane’ Hutton earning the league’s Rookie of the Year honor.

Prior to returning to her alma mater, Holmes spent a season as an assistant coach at Norfolk State. Holmes helped the Spartans finish with a .500 record for the first time since the 2001-2002 season and coached Kayla Roberts (First-Team All-Conference) and Jordan Strodes (Third-Team All-Conference) to postseason honors.

Holmes started her collegiate coaching career at Chowan University. While at Chowan, Holmes helped the Hawks to two of the best seasons in program history. Chowan reached the 20-win mark for the first time in school history during the 2015-16 campaign, as well as earning the program’s first regional ranking and the first berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Holmes helped tutor Alisha Mobley who earned First-Team All-Conference honors in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 while also helping Dhyamond Crenshaw and Mercedes Tapia earn All-Rookie Team Honors.

A native of Durham, N.C., Holmes was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain for the Howard women’s basketball team from 2009-13. She helped guide the Bison to the MEAC Tournament championship game three times in her career and was a First-Team All-MEAC performer in 2011-12 after leading the league in scoring (18.3 points per game). She also ranked fourth in the MEAC in steals (2.5) and sixth in free-throw percentage (77.0) that season, which culminated in Howard posting a 24-9 record (14-2 MEAC) and earning a berth in the WNIT. That was one of three postseason trips for Holmes and her teammates, with the Bison reaching the WNIT in 2011 as well as a trip to the CBI in 2013. Holmes left Howard as a member of the Bison 1,000-point club and was a Second-Team All-HBCU All-American following the 2011-12 campaign.

Holmes earned her bachelor’s degree in health science from Howard in 2013