Alley O’Dell’s women’s college basketball coaching backstory includes assistant roles at the NCAA Division I level at Radford in Virginia and the D-III level at Manchester and other schools.
O’Dell now has a head-coaching job. Rose-Hulman announced Tuesday that she’ll lead the Engineer women starting in the 2026-27 season.
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Rose-Hulman interim athletic director Seth Woodason said the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference school is thrilled with her hiring.
“Her leadership, experience, and enthusiasm to lead the women’s basketball program were evident throughout the hiring process,” Woodason said in a RHIT news release. “I am looking forward to the success of our program and Alley’s commitment toward developing our student-athletes both on and off the court.”
O’Dell fills the void left by former coach Devrinn Paul’s departure to serve as an assistant coach at Bellarmine. Paul coached the Engineers for three seasons, compiling records of 9-17 overall and 8-10 in the HCAC last season, 12-14 and 9-9 in 2024-25 and 12-14 and 9-9 in 2023-24.
Odell spent last season as assistant coach recruiting coordinator at Radford, where the Highlanders compiled a record of 23-13, advanced to the Big South Championship game and earned a berth in the NIT, where they advanced to the second round.
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Prior to coaching at Radford, Odell served six seasons as an assistant at the Division III level at University of Mary Washington from 2022-25, HCAC school Manchester from 2020-22 and Bridgewater in 2019-20.
At Mary Washington, the team compiled a record of 50-33 highlighted by a trip to the Sweet 16 at the 2022-23 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament.
O’Dell thanked Rose administrators for her opportunity.
“Rose-Hulman immediately impressed me when I arrived on campus, from the inviting faculty and staff all the way to the facilities and academic support. It is apparent that the student-athlete experience is a priority here, and I am so excited to continue that tradition on and off the court,” O’Dell said in the news release.
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“I couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity, and I am looking forward to recruiting, developing young women, and elevating the program in the best way,” she added.
The Richmond, Va., native graduated from Concord University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in social work. She earned a master’s degree in human services and a master’s certificate in sports management concentration at Liberty.
