Morra Gill completed her first season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Norfolk State in 2017-18. Gill brings 12 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level to the Spartan bench while also heading basketball operations at two different institutions.
NSU won 18 games with Gill on the bench in 2017-18, the third-most wins in the program’s Division-I history and the most since 2001-02.
Norfolk State saw an increase in success from the field in 2017-18, setting the program’s D-I record for field goal percentage and ranking second in the MEAC at 39.3 percent. In addition, the Spartans made improvements from 3-point range, making five treys per game and setting the D-I-era record for most 3-pointers (145) in a single season.
Gill helped coach Armani Franklin to the 2018 All-MEAC Rookie Team after Franklin started 20 games at lead guard for NSU.
Gill joined Norfolk State from La Salle, where she served as an assistant coach for the previous four years and was responsible for recruiting, scouting, player development and game preparation. In addition, she spent a fifth season as the director of women’s basketball operations.
At La Salle, Gill primarily worked with the team’s guards. One of her pupils, Jasmine Alston, led the Atlantic-10 in steals for three straight seasons and earned A-10 All-Defensive Team honors in 2014-15 and 2016-17. Alston ended her collegiate career as the program’s all-time steals leader. She also finished second in career assists and recorded the fourth-most rebounds in program history. Two more of Gill’s protégés, Micahya Owens and Alicia Cropper, scored more than 1,000 points in their careers as well.
The Explorers posted a 17-13 record in 2016-17, and Jeff Williams was named the A-10’s Coach of the Year. In addition, Amy Griffin led the conference and Philadelphia’s Big 5 in scoring that season.
La Salle led the A-10 in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense in Gill’s first season as an assistant in 2013-14. The Explorers posted nine wins in A-10 play, the program’s most conference victories since the 1996-97 season.
Prior to La Salle, Gill spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Providence from 2008-12. The Friars reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT in 2009-10, and Gill guided Chelsea Marandola to first team All-Big East honors in 2009-10, the program’s only All-Big East first-team selection since 1993-94.
At Providence, Gill helped sign a top-20 recruiting class in 2010. The class included Alicia Cropper, who was rated No. 32 in the nation by ESPN Hoop Gurlz; Lauren Okafor, an eventual Big East All-Freshman honoree; and Tia Tate, who led the Big East in double-doubles in 2011.
Gill spent the 2007-08 season as the operations coordinator at Morehead State. Prior to that, she served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at West Virginia Tech for three seasons from 2004-07. The Golden Bears posted a 24-9 record in 2006-07 and won the Mid-South Conference Tournament, earning a berth in the NAIA National Tournament in the process. Gill coached one NAIA All-American and four all-conference honorees while with the Golden Bears.
She also served as a graduate assistant at Division II Henderson State. During her time there, the Reddies advanced to the D-II national semifinals and claimed a Gulf South Conference title.
Gill played for four seasons at Dillard University, reaching the NAIA National Tournament in both 2001 and ‘02. She earned a master’s degree in sports administration in 2004 and has served as a sale and marketing representative in both the NBA and WNBA.
She has two sons – three-year old Max Love McDaniel and Dax Love McDaniel, born in Oct. 2017.
