There’s a new chapter beginning for UAlbany Women’s Basketball. Head Coach Kelly Morrone and General Manager Jada Pierce join The Engagement Ring to talk about building a team, navigating the changing world of college athletics, and creating a program that connects with people both on campus and throughout the Capital Region. They also share a little about themselves, their approach to leadership, and what they hope Great Dane fans will come to know and love about this team—both on and off the court.
Kelly Morrone, Head Coach, UAlbany Women's Basketball
Jada Pierce, General Manager, UAlbany Women's Basketball
Coach Kelly Morrone's Little Ballers Free Fall Clinics (for girls 8th grade and below)
September 28, 2026, 6-7:15 p.m. at the Broadview Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus
October 6, 2026, 6-7:15 p.m. at the Broadview Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus
From UAlbany Athletics, UAlbany Names Kelly Morrone Head Women's Basketball Coach, April 4, 2026
America East Women's Basketball
Special thanks to Scott Freedman of UAlbany Digital Media Services for engineering this podcast.
The Engagement Ring, Episode 43:
Big Dreams. Unbreakable Spirit.
[Lively, upbeat theme music plays as program host Mary Hunt introduces the program and plays excerpts from the program.]
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Welcome to The Engagement Ring, your connection to an ever-widening network of higher education professionals, scholars, and community partners working to make the world a better place. I'm Mary Hunt. Today on the podcast…
KELLY MORRONE:
What it means to be a Great Dane is to just you know, you stand tall with those ears perked up, ready for anything, and you fight until the game's over, the opportunity's over, the moment's over, whatever. It goes beyond basketball, and that unbreakable spirit, I mean, you’ve got to have it.
JADA PIERCE:
There was a lot of patience put into this roster, and intentionality put into this roster. So that's why I feel also that we're primed to do something special. Not sure what, but we're primed to do something special because we took the time to make sure we got the right people here.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
We'll meet the University at Albany's new Women's Basketball Head Coach Kelly Morrone and General Manager Jada Pierce. Together, they're leading the Great Danes into an exciting new era, one built on connection, character, and community, and they're helping their players see that the impact they can make reaches far beyond the basketball court.
KELLY MORRONE:
They love life, and they love what the basketball brings them, and the different areas that they can touch because they are looked up to. I just encourage them to be front and center. I just, I would, I think young women need to be front and center a little bit more and be comfortable with that.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Here's my conversation with Kelly Morrone and Jada Pierce.
MARY HUNT:
Kelly and Jada, welcome to the podcast.
KELLY MORRONE:
Thanks for having us. Thank you.
JADA PIERCE:
This is going to be fun.
[Music fades out]
MARY HUNT:
Oh, it is. It's truly fun. I've been looking forward to this, and I know you've had a really busy, well, I don't know, last several weeks, you've been moving. You've been getting acclimated to the area, building a team. What has it been like? And have you had a chance to settle into to the city? And do you feel like you're home yet? Does Albany feel like home, or starting to feel like home?
KELLY MORRONE:
I mean, first big breath we're taking is right here in this podcast.
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
Feels like hasn't been the weeks. Hasn’t been weeks, it's been months, you know, of really a lot of change and going back and forth and you know getting our personal affairs in order, getting our professional affairs in order, you know, yeah, fielding a team at the same time from all over the world. Really, we've got six new freshmen. We've got I think five different countries represented on our team. There's been a lot of a lot of quick decision making, but you know I think we tried to meet it with patience and you know excitement about the opportunity all at once. That can be stressful, and we tried to steer the stress to the side of the road and like just focus on the meat and potatoes of the opportunity that we get to do this.
MARY HUNT:
It’s funny you say a lot of quick decision making because that's basketball too, isn't it? I mean, you can plan and plan for the game, but when the game is on, you gotta make a lot of quick decisions. So, you found the right profession.
KELLY MORRONE:
Yeah, basketball helps you move. Yeah, no, no. The quick decisions are part of the competitive spirit of everything. You know, that's what the kids are learning. That's what our experience teaches us, is to be able to feel good about the things that we're doing in high-pressure situations. And this was definitely that.
MARY HUNT:
Now you ladies have known each other a while. You've been rivals, and now you’re colleagues and you’re teammates. How did you meet? How did you come to know each other? And how has your relationship evolved over the years?
JADA PIERCE:
So we met as assistant coaches probably close to 20 years ago. Kelly was fresh out of college, coaching at University of Buffalo, and I was an assistant at UMass. Our bosses were good friends, so they had scheduled a game, got to know each other a little bit, you know, pregame stuff. And then next thing you know, I'm seeing her on the road a lot more. It's one of those things you don't notice people, and then all of a sudden, you see them everywhere. So, we exchanged numbers, emails, kept in touch, and just supported each other kind of the whole way through. I'm actually older than her, so I treat her like a big sister a lot, even in the office, which the staff is kind of like, "Wait, what's going on here? And she's like, "Don't big sister me!”
[Laughter]
JADA PIERCE:
So it's been great trying to you know get her acclimated with everything and helping out the team, the staff, and we'll get into all my duties later on. But it's been a lot of fun building this relationship. In the last two years, we got to coach head-to-head against each other. Ah, Mary, sadly, you know I'm zero for three, but that's all right though. And I got to do my last game against one of my best friends in the entire world, which was pretty cool, pretty cool feeling. Didn't like losing, but it was great that it was against her. Yeah.
MARY HUNT:
Kelly, why did you know when you took this position that I want Jada here with me.
KELLY MORRONE:
You know, to be honest, I didn't know that I needed her as badly as I did until I just woke up and said I can't do this without her. And I think the timing of where we are in our careers and where basketball is going made it a perfect moment to just steal her, you know. And throughout our careers, as much as we've known each other, there was definitely a gap and where we just we couldn't talk as much as we normally did, and then I don't know, fate kind of threw us into the same conference all at once. I mean, that really happened very quickly. So, the last two years, we really got to reconnect and dig into our relationship and just the ways that we could help each other, support each other, and I think all that was divine intervention to say this is the right time, this is the right place, this is the perfect opportunity for you both. So, I woke up one morning and it was about 8:18, called her and I was like, you know, I think you should just come with me. She's like, Kelly, it's not even 8:30. I go I'll call you back in two hours. Let me know your answer. She said, what?
JADA PIERCE:
It was kind of crazy. Yeah, it was crazy because I was like, "Are we really having this conversation like right now? It's too early for this, you know. And honestly, I knew right then that I should have just said yes right away. But I wanted to make her wait, you know. In true fashion of our friendship, I had to make her wait, but you know, I made the calls to the right people, called my family, close friends in the business, and you know they knew where I was kind of at with my career, approaching 29 years of coaching, and kind of what's the pivot going to be. So, this was like a sign, you know, that this is the perfect pivot, and you get to do it with somebody you love and trust, and you know that it's going to be a genuine thing from start to finish, and you're going to have each other's back, which is so important in our business. You'll hear coaches say that they want people that are going to, you know, be loyal and genuine and have an investment in what they're doing. And we already had the investment in each other, and now it's like, okay, we get to put it on full display for everybody to see, you know, at a great university, you know, at UAlbany.
MARY HUNT:
Yeah, what are you ladies looking most forward to this season? You know, the team. The team is shaping up. You've got things in order. You've got the schedule in order. So now that it's set, what are you looking forward to?
KELLY MORRONE:
Before I answer that question, I want to revisit what Jada just said. And when it was announced that she was going to be our general manager, a couple of friends in common just said, "How does it feel to be the smartest woman in the business right now?” because that's how many… I mean, Jada's so connected, and it's you know we can talk a lot about the connection and trust too that we talk about with our team because that's a lot of what we're looking forward to but so connected has an incredible network of just friends, colleagues, and access to amazing people. And it was I mean, not only did she say yes, but then I got the confirmation through everybody who was so jealous that I stole her. So, I did feel like the smartest woman.
MARY HUNT:
Jada and I have only chatted a few times and met, but you do, you feel like you know each other for years when you talk with her, and she's so personable. And I've read that about you, Jada.
JADA PIERCE:
Thank you.
MARY HUNT:
I've read that your players consider you a mentor, look up to you, and your colleagues, I’VE heard other professionals just rave about your skills with the players, and what a great influence you are.
KELLY MORRONE:
Yeah, she's our little angel in Earth.
JADA PIERECE:
Thank you. Trying here, every day.
MARY HUNT:
Your reputation precedes you in in all sorts of positive ways, so that's a great asset to the team. What are you guys looking forward to this season? I know, obviously, you're looking forward to the games…
KELLY MORRONE:
I think you know just what us joining forces is going to look like. You know, we got a dream team of a staff. Denise King is somebody who's also been in the business for over 20 plus years. Has been a head coach. We've known her for over 20 years. Jada big sister's her as well.
[LAUGHTER]
KELLY MORRONE:
So for the three of us, we've been together for a long time.
MARY HUNT:
What's Denise's role?
KELLY MORRONE:
Denise is the director of leadership and player development, and kind of my handler, you know. She gets me where I need to go from a, you know, from having sat in the chair and understanding the support you need as a head coach, and my assistants, you know, Victoria and Claudio that came with me from Merrimack. Obviously, I've worked for them for a year and two years, and Philip joining us from having been a U Albany alum and been working here and knowing the area. He loves the community. His family loves the community. His wife's here, and her family. I mean, it's just a dream staff, you know. And I think we put together a complementary group of people that really care about the connection, and that's what we're most looking forward to is continuing to like be transformational for our players and not transactional. Teach them how much impact you can get out of having genuine connection, building that trust, talking about being a high-character, just human being, and all the fruits and benefits of what comes with focusing on the simple. You know, and I know that we, you and I, previously have talked about servant leadership and what that looks like, and this is all intertwined. So, the fun part is watching them be impacted by it. You know, and we could really see that form in the summer. This is basically a whole new team, and they connected pretty quickly. Coach, wouldn’t you say?
JADA PIERCE:
They did. I was pretty surprised. I mean, you could just tell that they wanted to do it because a lot of times you'll get a new group, and I had to do that the last couple of years at Niagara, and they're not as willing sometimes to want to like, okay, let me get to know you... Oh wait, you're from Russia. Oh wow, I'm from California. I mean, it's not usually like that, but this group was very intentional about it. The first things they asked about the players that came over with Coach from Merrimack were, "Hey, are we going to do apartment wars? Are we going to do this? Are we going to do that?” So, they knew some of the team-building activities that they did in the past they knew would help forming this group, and that was what I thought was like, "Wow, okay, we got a special group here.” Not sure how many games we'll win, but we have a special group here. You know.
MARY HUNT:
Well, how does that translate into their play? And if those kinds of relationships are forming, how does that translate to their work on the court?
KELLY MORRONE:
I mean, in my career as a head coach, this is how I've done it, and we. I think you can make the mistake of worrying about winning way too much and way too soon, and you miss the important building steps that make winning sustainable and success sustainable and make it fun and healthy and happy and all those things. So, to me, I believe that it takes longer, but the lasting effect is also longer. So, it will translate. It always has, and it's going to now. And when you get the right people in the room, that's the first step. And we've got a great group of a mix of personalities and backgrounds and experiences to just share and teach and grow and learn from. And I mean that's the good stuff.
MARY HUNT:
Well, I've heard you talk about fit and culture and chemistry as really important aspects of building a team.
KELLY MORRONE:
You can't do anything without it. You know, I think some of the games we might. I mean, Coach had very talented teams. There's been talented teams that we've beaten and we shouldn't have, just because of our strong relationships. And there's been teams that have beaten us that shouldn't have because of their strong relationships. And I think you really see it when you look at March Madness, when those teams that are really putting it together. You just kind of look at them and go, "What is their special sauce? Like, what's the recipe?” And we're all trying to steal from somebody, you know, anything that can help create an ingredient that adds to the success of, you know, the things that you can't teach. Yeah,
JADA PIERCE:
I think what I was most impressed with, we've had a lot of conversations over the years, but actually being here and being up close to see how Coach does things and how intentional the steps of the process are for her when it comes to off the court. Because I'm not really out there at practice. I'm not in the practice plan meetings or anything like that to see how it builds. But just talking about the off court and how we want to be intentional with them. Relationships, getting out in the community together to do stuff, making sure that we are having you know having them at her house for a get together, a cookout, pool party, you know things like that, and just really saying, hey guys, I know we all want to get excited about the basketball piece, but let's not forget that we have to get them to work together. But like I said earlier, it's been really cool seeing the players take that on. But it starts with her and her saying how important it is from day one. It's about the person next to you. It has to be every day about the person next to you because if it's not, then what are we doing? And I think it's been really cool, kind of seeing that up close. Yes, we've had conversations about it, but witnessing it is a whole different thing.
JADA PIERCE:
Thanks, coach.
MARY HUNT:
Well, I know you've talked about the servant leader role, and Jada, I know that you're known too for your teams being very much involved in the community and community service. So those are things I want to chat a little bit more about how you see the team becoming involved with the community, but let me ask you first, Jade, about the role of the general manager. Now, that's a relatively new role, isn't it, in women's college basketball? What are your tasks? How do you support Kelly in her work?
JADA PIERCE:
So it's, it's been interesting because we are figuring this out as we go along. I have friends at the highest level in the P4 schools that are in this role, so I've kind of leaned into them, talked to them a lot the last three to four months about, hey, what does this look like for me? How can I support you know our head coach and make sure that I'm taking things you know off of her plate? So, a lot of what I'm doing, I actually had to do as a head coach. I had to talk to agents, you know, in regard to NIL and rev share. I had to help with assisting in fundraising, so fundraising is going to be a big part of it. Staff coordination, yes, as a head coach, you lead. Everybody has their different style of leading, so now she's you know she's the head of it, but I have to still lead the rest of the staff. And what does that look like? How are we on the same page together to leave her to be free to do the things that she does well, so we have to meet frequently. We had our first meeting actually yesterday, so it's funny that you asked about my role and what I'm doing. I'm also responsible for our fiscal responsibility, making sure that we don't go over budget. So, and again, as a head coach, you had to do those things too. So, a lot of what I did before translates now, except you just take the basketball piece kind of out of it. So, I'll be all the external relations. Yeah, I'll be meeting with donors. I'll be meeting with alumni. I'll be the conduit with you know with us our program and the alumni. We had a Zoom. We organized a Zoom already that was in the early part of August, so about a month ago, and we had you know a decent turnout. We want to get out a little bit more and let them understand, like, hey, why we're here. We're just caretakers of the program. We want to make sure we uphold, you know, the UA standards and what it is to be a Great Dane. So, I've had some of those things already that I've been able to do, and so now it's just consistently doing it. I can't tell you what my day to day looks like because it looks different every single day, and sometimes I can go pop down to practice. Sometimes I can't because I have a meeting. I'm meeting with our fundraiser for the department, or I have to go meet, you know, with an event planner. You know, those types of things.
KELLY MORRONE:
Season tickets holders.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, season ticket holders. So, I mean, we're working on a whole lot of things right now. Got a lot of balls in the air with events coming up, but I love doing this and not having the stress of, and now you have to run the program too.
MARY HUNT:
Yeah, yeah, that seems unbearable. One person, impossible task for one person. It seems to do all this.
JADA PIERCE:
So that's how I'm really making sure she gets to sleep at night a little bit better, knowing that she has someone taking care of these areas for her.
MARY HUNT:
Well, let's talk a little bit about the season. It sounds like an interesting season ahead. Now, there are two components. There are the non-conference part of the season and the conference play. Is that correct?
KELLY MORRONE:
Yes.
MARY HUNT:
And the non-conference play precedes the conference play, which this year you're entering America East Conference. Yep. Welcome to the East. Welcome to America East, Kelly, as a coach, do you have say into the schedule? Is it the non-conference play that you really have a voice in, or how does that? Can you tell us a little bit about how that works? How do you plan the schedule?
KELLY MORRONE:
Yeah, well, this year, I mean, I think this rule came into play last year, you could play 32 games. That’s a lot of games.
MARY HUNT:
You know, previously it was 29, and there were some rules around it with multi-team events and two games counting as one, and blah blah blah. So, the NCAA eventually said 32 games max. You know, so we're heavy. We have a lot of lot of games in November, and when we took this position, the schedule wasn't done. So, you know, it's kind of late to be scheduling the non-conference games. I believe if we wanted to schedule 32, we would that would be 16?
JADA PIERCE:
It would be 16 because we play 16 conference games, so that would be 16 additional games, which is a lot when you start mapping it out. It's a lot.
KELLY MORRONE:
So I looked to the woman who has the most friends in the business and said, "Start texting your friends,” and that's how we completed the non-conference schedule. But yeah, typically we talk about… there's strategy to it. You know, there's timing, and you look at different variables as far as are we going to be a young team that year? Is it going to be a team that's pushing for you know conference championship contention to where we really got to you know load up a heavy non-conference to be ready for those type things? So, there's a lot of different variables that you want to consider.
MARY HUNT:
I’ve looked at the schedule, and I know people have been speaking about this. You've got Ole Miss and Rutgers and South Carolina, so among other strong contenders. But those are some of your non-conference big, big guns you're going to be playing. So why did you choose to you know take on some of those big teams? What do you hope that your team is going to gain from that experience? And is there ever the chance of, I mean, getting tired out in the pre-conference for the conference, or how does that play together?
KELLY MORRONE:
Yeah, it all plays together. It's just a balance of mind and emotion and reality versus expectations, and you know you really get to talk about measuring their level of investment, and not only the things they're doing on the court, but what are they doing off the court to fill their confidence cups to be able to take on such a strong schedule like that. What are their habits that they're doing to have you know sleeping habits, early prep habits with their homework, their nutrition? That's where all the life skills, talk come into play to you know get them ready for competitive excellence on game day. You know, so it's certainly a holistic conversation that we're having now. We won't go back even to July. You know, we talk about how you got an ice bath in July, so you can be ready to play in March. And some of the younger kids don't understand that. Some of the older kids do. And there's a lot of different types of conversations with different players at different points in their career, but it's supposed to be fun, you know. It's supposed to get you ready. It's supposed to build trust amongst the team that we can take on hard. It's supposed to give you character to understand that the highs and lows are going to be there. They're always going to be, but throughout all that, we're going to have an unbreakable spirit, and we are not going to back down to anybody.
MARY HUNT:
I know that's one of your mottos. I like that. Yeah. What does that mean? Does that mean just have a mental toughness? Does it mean be physically tough? I mean, what does it mean not to back down?
KELLY MORRONE:
I think there's just a look in somebody's eye that says, you know, I'm here, and no matter what you throw at me, I'm going to throw it back too. You know, and I'm not worrying about the results. I'm just worrying about the process and how I represent myself, my teammates, my family, my university, the department. You know what it means to be a Great Dane is to just you know you stand tall with those ears perked up, ready for anything, and you fight until the game's over, the opportunity's over. The moment's over. Whatever it goes beyond basketball, and that unbreakable spirit, I mean, you've got to have it. It can't just be when things are good. It's got to be when things are really challenging and you're feeling bogged down. And you know, when you have a group of people who are committed to those two things, because it can't just be you all the time. You got to be able to lean on your sisters to hold you up and hold you to that standard. Things can be a lot easier, and you can accomplish a great deal.
MARY HUNT:
Have you been back as a coach? You haven't been back to South Carolina then? What's it going to be like, or have you? And what's it going to be like to walk out there as the coach of the team? And I know you were the captain three years. I know that's pretty impressive.,
KELLY MORRONE:
Well, I did go back. I will say, Dawn was so gracious when they won the first national championship. She extended an invitation to the alums to bring us back for the parade. I got on the old folks' float, and I was very happy to.
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
Jada, I was just waving away with some of the old greats, but it's so special. I mean, you know, you're part of something, even if it's years earlier. You're still part of the build, you know, and that's why we know how important being caretakers of this program is. We've got we've got high expectations and standards to meet. If you walk down our hallway and it's championship picture after championship picture, and we got nets and trophies in our suite all lit up to remind us what the assignment is, right, Coach?
JADA PIERCE:
It's every day, and I that's what I love about you know being here too because they're reminded of it constantly. When they walk into their locker room, It's championship central, so they understand what the assignment is. The pressure — we think the pressure is a privilege, and that's what's conveyed, you know, to our players. I'm excited for Coach to get back to South Carolina because I think it'll be a warm welcome. You know, she played on some pretty great teams there that set the stage for you know what Coach Staley is doing now. You know, for the program, and I'm sure it'll be emotional. So, I'll be there to support as a big sister to make sure that you know she stays focused for the game and not get too emotional, but I think it'll be a warm welcome. I think the fans will be excited to see her back. The ones that you know are still you know season ticket holders from when she played. And Dawn's a gracious person. We are friends, both from Philly. Have known each other… the last few years, we've gotten closer, but it'll be nice to bring her back and just have that warm welcome.
KELLY MORRONE:
It's such a dream. And my coach actually was just added to Coach Staley's staff as well. So, to see her back in in Columbia and just you know it's where it started and we accomplished a lot. And yeah, I'm emotional thinking about it now. And you know it took 20 years to get back. It's a lot, you know. This this is a grind of a profession, and to be able to do it and be, you know, representing UAlbany and playing against the best is just amazing for the school. It's amazing for our girls to experience it, but we're going to have an unbreakable spirit.
MARY HUNT:
Oh yeah, I can feel your excitement just talking to you, ladies. Just the times I have. I mean, we're all excited about the season. What do you think people in the stands don't know about building a basketball team, what goes into it when they're there watching? Who do you think would surprise them?
JADA PIERCE:
There's so much.
KELLY MORRONE:
Where do we where do we begin? Should we look at our phone log?
JADA PIERCE:
I know. I know. Text messages and…
KELLY MORRONE:
Probably the amount of people around the player that really have their ear and are weighing in on…
MARY HUNT:
supporting…
KELLY MORRONE:
Supporting, you know, guiding and directing and I think, you know, the amount you have to communicate with their village and as much as this process has sped up just because of the nature of the portal and everything else, that kind of courting process hasn't, you know. So, you really have to still take the time to make sure you are aligning, you know. And there's going to be a happiness with the decision at the end of the day, and I think recruiting and building a team, it's not how good of a salesman are you, you know, or how witty are you with your words, and how slick are you. It's really not that, and it's still ultimately about the connection. But you can get it wrong, and it's easy to get it wrong in one fell swoop if you're not good question askers.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, because what I will say is, I view it as speed dating now when it comes to the portal and the late recruiting because everyone is in a position to not know their roster. You’ll know in April who's staying and who's going, but I think once it happens and you have to get players, it can it does become speed dating. And as coach just said, you have to be better question askers. And we've learned a lot in this process. One thing I will say, for it to be speed dating, she's she has patience. This roster was put together rather slowly when you think about how everyone else does things, and I think that's what I was kind of impressed with is that she was like, "Listen, guys, we can't rush through this just because people think that you know we have to make a decision today, tomorrow, on whether or not we want this player.” We have to make sure all around that it's going to be a fit from their village, what they're looking for you know philosophy-wise of hey what do they want to major in because again we are not going to have a ton of professional players not even like on the level of WNBA but what is it going to look like for their future? Is this a match because we're not looking at it year to year like a lot of people are now. Parents are even looking at it almost year to year because it's like well if we don't like it, we'll just we'll just go somewhere else. But we had a lot of… there was a lot of patience put into this roster and intentionality put into this roster. So that's why I feel also that we're primed to do something special. Not sure what, but we're primed to do something special because we took the time to make sure we got the right people here.
MARY HUNT:
Which kind of makes me think it's not… obviously it's talent. You have to be a talented basketball player, but pure talent may not be the most important ingredient in a player. Is there something that kind of is as important, or if not more important than pure talent?
KELLY MORRONE:
I was just going to say that that's probably the most surprising thing. It, I mean, I've had teams, most talented teams, big, fast, strong, skill-wise, least successful, least successful. I mean, and that is a lesson that will never go away from me.
MARY HUNT:
I would say that's a life lesson?
KELLY MORRONE:
It’s a life lesson, and it was a lesson for leadership to watch it happen. You know, and it was… that impactful year will never take away my decision to make sure that you don't put the best… It's not about being the best on paper. It's not about being winning first. It is really about the marriage of personalities and the different type leaders you need and followers you need, and communicators you need, the glue people, and the ones that that work with me, you know that that really respond well to me. So that's… I will say after 20 plus years, you just you really get confidence as a leader and knowing yourself and how to construct a roster that you know works and that can be successful. It just may take a little bit more time, but not necessarily all the best players on one team is something that you want. Just a cautionary tale for anybody listening.
JADA PIERCE:
Very much a cautionary tale. We've all experienced it as coaches. Yeah,
MARY HUNT:
That is interesting. That is eye opening. You've said, Kelly, you want your team to have a very big presence in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. So, I know you want them to strive for academic excellence and work hard on the court and challenge themselves to against their opponents and against themselves. I mean to push themselves. But what kind of presence do you envision for them in the community?
KELLY MORRONE:
I mean, some of the community's gotten a snippet of their personalities, and I think Jada's laughing too because we have a team of personalities. I mean, I just love it. I love I love players that have an edge and just have a story, and that they, you know they love life and they want to be known and have their presence known, and you know they're good in front of cameras. They're great out in the community. We got to work with United Way in the summer meal program this summer, and I mean you can see the players that are drawn to the kids immediately. I mean Cadence had four kids hanging on her off for one time, hanging on her, and then you know Maddie Roman’s over there drawing with the kids, and they just they love life and they love what the basketball brings them and the different areas that they can touch because they are looked up to and they're inspired by others that you know say man what is it like to you know to rep UAlbany and to be a Great Dane and to be here and they love talking about it you know so I just encourage them to be front and center. I just I would I think young women need to be front and center a little bit more and be comfortable with that, you know. And the way that they are in the classroom and where they are within the department. You know, we're at the football game and they're all wearing their black and super excited, like they've been here for years on end. We just try and have our presence known and share our spirit and share our commitment to UAlbany and what it means to be an athlete here.
MARY HUNT:
And there'll be little girls in the stands with their parents, with their brothers and sisters watching the games. Do you ever think that you're role models for them, or you wonder what's what they're thinking as they're watching the older girls playing.
KELLY MORRONE:
We know.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, we know what they're thinking. I want to be like her, and I think that that's the special part about what we get to do. And thinking about just even my time as a coach, Kids’ Day was always my favorite. It may not be Coach Kelly's favorite.
KELLY MORRONE:
You just take Tylenol on that day.
[Laughter]
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, take two extra strength, but it was always a special day because the joy, the laughter… they don't know who they're cheering for. They just cheer for everyone. They're happy to be there, and you see the signs that they make, and it's just… t's a great feeling. I feed off of the, you know, the energy of the kids' education day games, and I think that's where you really see that impact, besides when you get out into the community and do what we did this summer, and we'll do more throughout the year. Coach DK on our staff is going to spearhead. Denise King is going to spearhead all of the community service efforts. But that day in particular, it is amazing. And what I love about Coach's philosophy is she has a program called the Little Ballers. So, our last game we played against each other this year, all of a sudden, I'm getting ready to do a little handshake thing with her, and these little ones are there and they're high fiving me, and I was like, oh my goodness, it was the best thing. It was so cute. So that's where you're like, yeah. This is what we're all supposed to be doing, and we're setting examples that maybe we couldn't see at their age. Because I know I didn't see that growing up in Philly. I didn't get to many college games at all at that age. So, you realize the impact that we're having. Women's basketball obviously has taken off a lot in these last few years with the W and stuff, but it's just, it's really cool, and that we call it little ballers. I think that's even the coolest thing too.
KELLY MORRONE:
I think the whole thing about it is, and we have some free clinics coming up to start this Little Ballers program. Making a plug for September 28 and October 6 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. It's free for eighth graders and under, and you can sign up to be a part of the Little Ballers Club, where you know they get T-shirts for the game. They'll be out there. They rebound for the girls. They give water to the girls on the bench. They sit on the bench. They're in the high- five line. They're in the intro line. You know the best part for me is like during the national anthem, they nuzzle up right next to me and they're standing next to me, and it's little eyes on big dreams, and they're seeing big, fast, strong, competitive women, like really intense. And they're seeing women in leadership positions and handling, you know, pressure and stress. And why wouldn't you want that example? You know. And I see them over there kicking their legs. And when I go back, coach and I watch film, and they're into it. You know. And then I realize they're in the huddles, and I probably need to realize they're in the huddles some of the time. One little girl goes, "That's okay. I have a big brother that that says some words sometimes.”
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
… but it's an awesome program that we're really excited about to bring to UAlbany. So, I hope I hope we get a lot of a good turnout for that.
MARY HUNT:
Oh, excellent! We'll make sure we put a link on the podcast resources for that too, as well. Before we wrap up, I have a couple lightning round questions for you, ladies.
KELLY MORRONE:
I’ve been waiting for this. Been trying to guess about this.
JADA PIERCE:
We were trying to guess on the way over here.
[Laughter]
MARY HUNT:
Well, if you could challenge, I want an answer from both of you anyone to a one-on-one play, living, past, basketball player or not, who would it be?
KELLY MORRONE:
Wow, I mean, I am not the one-on-one girl. I know I wouldn't challenge Jada because she was a tremendous defensive player, and I was a shooter, and I wasn't. I'm not getting around her, and she's not letting me get shot up.
MARY HUNT:
We should do that. That would be really good, yeah.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, that would be a good one.
KELLY MORRONE:
Maybe now at our age we’d be able.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, now it’s a little more even.
KELLY MORRONE:
That’s a good one.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, that’s a good one.
MARY HUNT:
Jada, you gotta have one being a Philly girl. You gotta have one in mind.
JADA PIERCE:
Well, Dr. J was my favorite growing up. My dog's name is Dr. J. I would say him just because he was everything growing up and watching him literally fly through the air. Like I was like, well, I want to do that too, but I think that would be kind of fun and just not even about me getting my shot blocked every time, you know, it's more about the conversation because he's such a great human being. But I would love to… Dr. J would be my all-time favorite one-on-one.
KELLY MORRONE:
You know who I really liked growing up was Allison Feaster.
JADA PIERCE:
She was tough.
KELLY MORRONE:
She was tough.
JADA PIERCE:
She was tough.
KELLY MORRONE:
She was tough. Tammi Reiss was always fun to watch. There are a lot of greats. I'm telling you, Mary, I don't. I don't…
MARY HUNT:
Hard to narrow it down. There are a lot.
KELLY MORRONE:
Well, I don’t want to do one. I stay in my wheelhouse where I know I belong.
MARY HUNT:
Well, how about this one? Which one of the two of you was more likely to get a technical?
JADA PIERCE:
Well, I think it's me because I had I have the most probably on record versus…
[Laughter]
MARY HUNT:
Do you really?
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah if we're counting up Ts in our career I probably have the most and sadly I'm not proud of this. I called my mom after and say I'm sorry mom I got a T or whatever but I yeah I was close to almost getting ejected from a couple. The last couple of years were real tough for me Mary, so…
MARY HUNT:
You put your heart in it.
JADA PIERCE:
I did. The passion. The fire.
MARY HUNT:
That's okay. Basketball coaches are passionate,
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah.
MARY HUNT:
When we laymen watch them, they’re… I don't know how they keep it together during the course of a game sometimes.
JADA PIERCE:
I know in your younger years though…
KELLY MORRONE:
I did get ejected from an incident.
[Laughter]
JADA PIERCE:
Oh wow. Yeah. You need that. Yeah.
KELLY MORRONE:
I didn't really earn it as much as I wanted to.
JADA PIERCE:
That's always the funny part. Yeah. Do we ever earn them?
KELLY MORRONE:
I don't know. But I did get ejected. I had to do the slow walk.
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
Nobody even realized what happened. So, the gym went silent. He's like, "You're out of here. I'm like, "I don't even know where to go.” Yeah. So, I had to slowly walk out of the gym. My assistant was like, "Who's coaching?” And I said, "You.”
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
You know, my boss was coming down out of the stands at the time, and she met me in the locker room and goes, "What happened?" I was like, “I'm still not quite sure,” so I had to wait. It was my first NCAA tournament game, and I had to wait in the hallway. And then an escort came by to make sure I wasn't going to be mad after the fact.
JADA PIERCE:
Wow!
MARY HUNT:
I think it’s a rite of passage or a badge of honor maybe for a basketball coach.
KELLY MORRONE:
I was worried what the players were going to think, you know. And they came in, and the one player goes, "I gotta tell you, your slow walk out the gym was like the most boss walk I've ever seen.”
[Laughter]
JADA PIERCE:
That’s awesome.
KELLY MORRONE:
At least something was cool.
[Laughter]
JADA PIERCE:
Did you win?
KELLY MORRONE:
No, we didn’t win that game.
JADA PIERCE:
Oh man!
MARY HUNT:
Well, you know, you win some, you lose some, right?
KELLY MORRONE:
But we won the memory, coach.
JADA PIERCE:
You won the memory, though.
MARY HUNT:
How about your favorite, or I shouldn't say favorite, the one coaching phrase that you say way too much.
KELLY MORRONE:
Hmm, “Pace, go faster,” and “Stop asking so many questions.”
JADA PIERCE:
I don't know because we were a defensive team, so I think I was always about talking about getting stops. “Get a stop. We need a stop. We need a stop.” I think I said that a lot.
MARY HUNT:
Just because you say doesn't mean it shouldn't be said often.
JADA PIERCE:
Yeah, “we need to stop.” That it. I would say that would be a staple.
KELLY MORRONE:
And when we were playing her, it was “Go, go, go,” because if you don't go, they're going to go get you.
MARY HUNT:
And one last one: What's the quality you most admire about the person sitting next to you? So, Kelly, what do you admire most about Jada, and vice versa?
KELLY MORRONE:
Her discipline to be really conscious of doing the right thing and doing right for people all the time. Like she always puts others first, and she always tries to really have a perspective of herself that eliminates emotion and fear and everything that you can imagine that would keep her from seeing the right thing and how to treat people. Like she is just… talking about being a great caretaker program. She's a great caretaker of people, and she doesn't stray from that.
MARY HUNT:
I get that vibe.
JADA PIERCE:
Wow, thank you.
KELLY MORRONE:
I think with Kelly, she's true to who she is. She's not going to the back down, the never back down spirit is that is her through and through, and I think it's on display a lot for everyone to see. And it's not just on the court; it's not just her coaching; it's the life piece too because she's been thrown a lot during her life, and still she holds her head high. The shoulders are back, and she's speaking with confidence. And I think she's been such a true friend. I would say I've met a lot of people over the years that you know I don't necessarily keep in touch with as much, but she was somebody who we pick up where we left off, and not everybody has those type of relationships because again, we did… there was a gap where we hadn't talked, and it wasn't anyone was mad at another. It was just life got busy, and I think for her being such a true spirit, a true heart, just always honest, straight shooter and the character that she is, I think it offsets how I am, kind of all business sometimes. And she teases me about it. I love that she teases me about stuff. So, her personality is off the hook. It's kind of funny. We didn't get the full effect here today, but the personality piece in her and the character that she is something that I love too, but her being so true to who she is and the others around her is one of the best qualities I think you can have as a person.
MARY HUNT:
I think you guys have great chemistry. If your team has a quarter the chemistry you guys have together, you're going to be… you're going to be okay.
KELLY MORRONE:
Yeah, we’d win a lot of games. Jada is a real rule follower. So, she tries to keep me in line…
[Laughter]
KELLY MORRONE:
… and I tend to squiggle lines a little bit. So, it's a good a…
JADA PIERCE:
It's a good mix here.
MARY HUNT:
Good balance, yeah.
JADA PIERCE:
Good balance.
MARY HUNT:
Well, last thing I want to ask you is if you look back five years from now, say when people are talking about this era of UAlbany basketball, women's basketball, what do you hope they say about the impact the program has had on the court, on the players, on the community?
KELLY MORRONE:
That we didn't skip a beat. That we just kind of came in and kicked the door off the hinges, and but that we did it the right way. Everybody was on board from day one. You could see the culture, the connection, the character, the trust that was built, and our involvement in all things that that we can get our hands on and leave an impact and just blaze a trail. This trail has kind of already been blazed for us, but in the way that that we need to do it, and that that maybe we go a step beyond even where we think we can dream of, and we just we really want to dream big. We want to do this big. It's been a long time coming for us, right? For us to be at a program like this with the investment that the senior leadership team has, the president, the university. This community is amazing… the season ticket holders. I mean, we really just want to wow this place. And you know, hey, maybe we get a couple sellout crowds that have never happened and just ride the coattails of how women's basketball is going right now, and make a little, you know, a little dream team in Albany here that's ready to celebrate and hang some more banners and just do it and do it big.
MARY HUNT:
I think you're well on your way to that. Let's just mention the first game, the first home game. I'm going to have you guys share that.
JADA PIERCE:
So we have an exhibition on October 29th versus St. Thomas Aquinas. That will be a preview. You know that should be a free game for everybody to be able to come to and really get a snapshot of the team and what we look like. Hopefully, we look pretty good by then. And then we have our official first home game is against Manhattan in the Metro Challenge, the America East Metro Challenge. That's something that's new this year. Coach and I were a little nervous that we were going to have to play against our former teams, but thankfully, you know, we don't have to. So that will be our first home game, official home game, November 5 against Manhattan.
MARY HUNT:
Sounds good.
KELLY MORRONE:
And for just to put a plug in, we are switching sides for our bench. We're moving to the other side of the table, and it's a coach's control thing. I think. I've been on the left side of the table my whole career. One time I got to the right, and things didn't start off right. So, because I can't control everything, I can control where I stand on the on the bench, and it's part of my quirk, but that'll be new.
MARY HUNT:
Not a quirk. I always tell people I have a family member, like a mom, who always says, "Put everything in your favor. You can't control everything, but the things you can put in your favor.”
KELLY MORRONE:
I'll be on the left side with a diet ginger ale. That's where you'll find me.
JADA PIERCE:
Diet ginger ale.
MARY HUNT:
We'll look for you on the left side then, and we'll be there. So, we're excited, very excited about it here at the university, and I know the whole Capital Region community is really excited. So, ladies, I wish you coaches, Coach Kelly, Coach Jada, I wish you the best of luck. We're really excited.
KELLY MORRONE:
Go Great Danes!
MARY HUNT:
Yeah, Go Great Danes!
JADA PIERCE:
Go Great Danes!
[Music fades in]
MARY HUNT:
Thank you for finding the time. I know you're incredibly busy to take time out for today, so it was a lot of fun.
KELLY MORRONE AND JADA PIERCE:
Thank you.
ANNOUNCER/MARY HUNT:
Kelly Morrone joined UAlbany after six seasons as head coach of Merrimack College, where she helped guide the program through its transition to Division One, and was named the 2026 MAC Coach of the Year. Her coaching career spans more than two decades, including a successful seven-year run at John Carroll University and Division One stops at William and Mary, Rhode Island, Davidson, and Buffalo. Before becoming a coach, Morrone was a three-year captain and standout three-point shooter at the University of South Carolina, helping the Gamecocks reach the Elite Eight in 2002. Jada Pierce brings nearly three decades of coaching experience to UAlbany, most recently as head coach of the women's basketball program at Niagara University, where she led the program to unprecedented success, including its first 20-win season and postseason victory. Now, as the Great Danes' general manager, she brings that experience to a new role focused on supporting the program and mentoring its players and staff. For more information on UAlbany Women's Basketball coach Kelly Morrone and General Manager Jada Pierce, visit the resource page for this podcast online at the engagement dash ring dot Simplecast dot com. The Engagement Ring is produced by the University at Albany's Office for Public Engagement. Special thanks to our recording engineer Scott Freedman of UAlbany's Digital Media Services. If you have questions or comments or want to share an idea for an upcoming podcast, email us at UAlbany O P E at Albany dot E D U.
[Music fades out]