Danielle Edwards was hired by head coach Toyelle Wilson as the Director of Player Personnel in April 2021. She now serves as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator and will enter her fourth season on the Hilltop.
In her fourth season at the SMU, the Mustangs finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 14-16. SMU averaged 69.8 points per game (5th AAC) on 43.5% shooting from the field (2nd AAC). The Mustangs’ 1.00 assist/turnover ratio and 14.7 assists per game ranked second in the conference.
Â
She helped guide Tiara Young to earn a spot on the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team, and helped develop Chantae Embry into the conference’s Ambassador Award recipient. Mustangs also collected eight weekly AAC honors.
In her second season as an assistant coach, the Mustangs finished with a 17-13 record and earned their third consecutive WNIT appearance. The Mustangs made the postseason in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015. The Mustangs ranked second in scoring defense in the AAC, holding opponents to only 58.3 points per game. Three different Mustangs finished in the top 10 in the league in four separate individual categories. Edwards helped guide Savannah Wilkinson, Jasmine Smith and Ella Brow to All-AAC honors.
SMU finished with a 14-15 record in 2021-22, including 7-7 in her first season on the Hilltop. The Mustangs finished tied for fourth, the program’s highest finish in the American Athletic Conference.
Edwards worked with Wilson at Michigan, spending the two seasons as the Director of Player Personnel. She served as liaison with duties related to academics, assisted the recruiting coordinator with daily operations, and oversaw the day-to-day personal matters of student athletes. She joined the Wolverines’ staff after finishing her playing career at Clemson, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sports communications and masters in athletic leadership. She finished her career ranked first in the program in starts, 123, third in steals, 291, and 14th in points, 1,274. She is the first player in program history to be named to the ACC All-Academic Team all four seasons, and is a two-time all-defensive team selection.
During her playing career at Clemson, Edwards served as a team captain, and was also a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In 2019, she participated in the WBCA So You Want to Be a Coach program, and also had internships in the university communications department and the athletics communications department at Clemson. She is a native of Perry Hall, Md.
