Jump to content

Austin Kelly (basketball)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Austin Kelly
Indiana Fever
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1989-03-12) March 12, 1989 (age 36)
Mableton, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolSouth Cobb (Austell, Georgia)
College
Coaching career2018–present
Career history
As a coach:
2018–2019Georgia Tech
Graduate assistant / assistant scouting coordinator
2019–2021Vanderbilt Commodores
Director of recruiting
2021–2023UT Arlington
Assistant coach / recruiting coordinator
2023–2024Connecticut Sun
Assistant coach
2025–presentIndiana Fever
Assistant coach

Austin Kelly (born March 12, 1989) is an American basketball coach. He is an assistant coach for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils from 2007 to 2010; he then played college basketball for the Georgia Southwestern State Hurricanes in 2011.

Early life

[edit]

Kelly was born March 12,[1] 1989,[2] in Mableton, Georgia.[3] He attended South Cobb High School in Austell, Georgia.[4]

College career

[edit]

Kelly played college football for the Duke Blue Devils. A wide receiver, he played at Duke for four seasons. In 2007, he recorded 15 receptions for 186 yards and one touchdown. He caught 13 passes for 142 yards in 2008, adding one rush for five yards. He tallied 54 catches for 625 yards and four touchdowns in 2009, and in 2010, he added 47 receptions for 486 yards and four more touchdowns.[3] He was a three-year starter at Duke.[5]

After graduating from Duke University in 2011[5] with a degree in sociology,[6] Kelly played one season of college basketball for the Georgia Southwestern State Hurricanes.[5] Measuring 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and 210 pounds (95 kg), he played guard at Georgia Southwestern State. He played in three games, starting in one, and recorded 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.[4]

Coaching career

[edit]

After finishing college, Kelly worked as a high school basketball coach. He was an assistant boys' basketball coach at Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia and South Cobb High School in Austell.[7]

Kelly began coaching college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets women's basketball team as a graduate assistant and assistant scouting coordinator from 2018 to 2019. He spent 2019 to 2021 as the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball director of recruiting[5] under head coach Stephanie White; Kelly would later work as White's assistant on multiple teams in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[8] From 2021 to 2023, Kelly served as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the UT Arlington Mavericks women's basketball team.[5]

Kelly joined the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA from 2023 to 2024 as an assistant under head coach Stephanie White. When White was named the head coach of the Indiana Fever starting in 2025, Kelly joined her staff with the Fever.[5]

On June 7, 2025, Kelly stepped into the head coaching role for the first time as Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White missed the team's game against the Chicago Sky for personal reasons.[9][10] Fever star Caitlin Clark also missed the game due to injury, but the Fever defeated the Sky, 79–52.[11][12]

Kelly filled in for White as head coach again when personal reasons forced her to miss the Fever's June 19, 2025 game against the Golden State Valkyries.[13][14] The Valkyries defeated the Fever, 88–77.[15]

Personal life

[edit]

Kelly is married to fellow Indiana Fever assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly, who played basketball in the WNBA for nine years. The couple have a son.[16]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "wishing a very happy birthday to assistant coach Austin Kelly! 🎂🎉". Facebook. March 12, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  2. ^ Seligman, Andrew (June 7, 2025). "With record crowd watching, Sky get blown out by Fever in first WNBA game at United Center". Associated Press. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Austin Kelly". ESPN. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Austin Kelly". Georgia Southwestern State University athletics. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Indiana Fever Adds Austin Kelly to Coaching Staff, Karima Christmas-Kelly Returns as Assistant Coach". Indiana Fever. November 26, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  6. ^ "Kelly Joins GSW Basketball After Duke Football Career". Georgia Southwestern State University athletics. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  7. ^ "Austin Kelly". Vanderbilt University athletics. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  8. ^ Orlando, Lou (June 19, 2025). "Fever Coach Austin Kelly Maintaining Continuity in Stephanie White's Absence". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  9. ^ Bode, Josh (June 7, 2025). "Fever coach Stephanie White to miss Saturday's game at Sky". WISH-TV. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Young, Grant (June 7, 2025). "Indiana Fever Coach Conveys Team's 3-Word Mentality Before Chicago Sky Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  11. ^ Pickman, Ben (June 7, 2025). "Fever balance scoring, rout Sky 79-52 without Caitlin Clark, coach Stephanie White". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Peterson, Chloe (June 8, 2025). "With Steph White out, Fever don't miss a beat with Austin Kelly acting as head coach". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  13. ^ Williams, James H. (June 19, 2025). "Fever coach Stephanie White will miss game vs. Valkyries; Austin Kelly steps in". USA Today. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  14. ^ "Fever coach Stephanie White to miss game vs. Valkyries". Reuters. June 19, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Andrews, Kendra (June 19, 2025). "Fever without coach Stephanie White; Austin Kelly steps in". ESPN. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  16. ^ Peterson, Chloe (November 26, 2024). "Married couple Karima Christmas-Kelly, Austin Kelly join Stephanie White's Fever staff". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Austin_Kelly_(basketball)&oldid=1301230319"