Khalilah Mitchell was promoted to assistant coach in May 2012 after a year spent serving as the director of program development and her third as a member of the UCF women[apos]s basketball program. She will begin her fifth year with the program in 2013-14.
Mitchell[apos]s first year as a member of the coaching staff in 2012-13 was a memorable one. In the Knights[apos] final season as a member of Conference USA in 2012-13, she helped lead the program on a magical run through the conference tournament. UCF advanced to its third title game in five years thanks to victories over Houston, regular season champion and No. 1 seed SMU and defending tournament champion UTEP.
Throughout the year, UCF ended an 0-44 streak against SEC opponents with a win over Mississippi State, snapped the nation[apos]s ninth-longest home-win streak at Florida Gulf Coast and saw Briahanna Jackson earn C-USA Freshman of the Year honors after breaking the school record for steals in a single season.
Mitchell worked with the team as a graduate assistant from 2009-11 while completing a master[apos]s degree in sports leadership and coaching. Helping prepare video footage for scouting purposes, Mitchell served as a valued asset to the coaching staff in her first two years before being elevated to her current position.
In her second season with the Knights, Mitchell was part of a program that won 11 straight games, including three in the C-USA Championship to claim its second league title, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Mitchell spent five seasons at LSU from 2003 to 2008 as a member of the women[apos]s basketball team. She is just one of two players (men or women) to be a part of five NCAA Final Four Teams, joining her teammate at LSU, Marian Whitfield. Mitchell was named to the 2005 All-SEC Academic Team as well as a member of the 2004 Freshmen Academic All-SEC team. She graduated from LSU with a bachelor[apos]s dgree in interdisciplinary studies in 2007.
A native of New Orleans, La., Mitchell is one of seven children in her family. She averaged 18.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game as a senior at St. Mary[apos]s under coach Keith Haywood. For her efforts she was named first-team all-state and participated in the Louisiana High School All-Star Game.