POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Marist University head women's basketball coach Erin Doughty has announced the completion of her coaching staff for the 2026-27 season with the additions of Tiana Jones and Kiah Gillespie as assistant coaches.
"We are super excited to welcome Tiana and welcome back Kiah to Marist," Doughty said. "Tiana is a young and emerging coach in our business. She has great energy and creativity, and with her connections, she will enhance our recruiting efforts. She will also work with our guards and wings."
Jones joins the Red Foxes after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas. During her time with the Tommies, Jones helped lead the program to the most wins in its Division I history and its first conference tournament victory. She was responsible for guard development, helping two players earn All-Conference honorable mention honors and another earn Newcomer of the Year recognition. Jones also contributed to recruiting, scouting and game preparation while serving as an in-game offensive play caller during the 2024-25 season.
Prior to St. Thomas, Jones spent two seasons at Wagner College from 2022-24 as an assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations. She oversaw post and forward player development, coaching an All-NEC Rookie Team selection, while also leading scouting and film sessions. During the 2022-23 season, Jones helped the Seahawks open NEC play 6-0, the best conference start in program history. She also served as the team's academic, travel and referee liaison.
Jones began her collegiate coaching career at SUNY Canton during the 2019-20 season before spending the 2020-21 campaign as an assistant coach at Faulkner University. At Faulkner, she worked with guard development and offensive schemes while helping the program produce its highest scoring average in program history. She then spent the 2021-22 season as the video coordinator at Saint Joseph's University, where she edited and coded practices and competitions and created individual, team and recruiting videos.
A native of Queens, New York, Jones earned her bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Drexel University in 2018, with minors in Communications and Business. She earned her MBA from Faulkner University in 2021.
Gillespie returns to Marist after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Stony Brook.
"Kiah's familiarity with Marist and our program will make for a smooth transition," Doughty said. "I'm thrilled to have her back and have watched her continue to grow as a coach during her time at Stony Brook. Our posts will greatly benefit from having her as a position coach, and both our offensive and defensive game preparation will be enhanced by her. She has great experience from a successful playing career that all our players will benefit from."
During her time with the Seawolves, she worked primarily with the forwards and helped oversee the development of the team's frontcourt. In her second season, Gillespie helped several of the team's young forwards make significant contributions.
Gillespie previously spent two seasons on Doughty's staff at Marist, helping the Red Foxes to 18 wins and back-to-back MAAC Tournament appearances during her first two seasons as a collegiate coach. She specialized in working with the team's post players, helping forward Zaria Shazer earn All-MAAC honors in consecutive seasons.
Before beginning her collegiate coaching career, Gillespie served as the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Sports Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, Connecticut.
Gillespie also enjoyed a decorated collegiate playing career at Maryland and Florida State. She began her career with the Terrapins, helping Maryland post a 63-7 record over two seasons while capturing back-to-back Big Ten championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
After her time at Maryland, Gillespie joined Florida State and became one of the top players in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She was a two-time All-ACC First Team selection and a two-time All-American. During the 2018 season, she became the first Seminole to lead her team in scoring, rebounding and three-point field goals made in the same season. She finished her Florida State career ranked among the program's top 10 in several single-season categories, including points, field goals, rebounds and double-doubles.
Gillespie was selected in the second round of the 2020 WNBA Draft with the 32nd overall pick by the Chicago Sky and continued her professional career overseas in Toulouse, France. She was also a standout at Capital Prep Magnet, where she was a two-time Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year, a 2015 McDonald's All-American and finished her high school career with 2,208 points.
Gillespie earned her bachelor's degree in Social Science from Florida State.
"Our staff is now complete, and we are excited to get to work for the 2026-27 season," Doughty said.
