There will be a new look to the Pitt-Bradford women’s basketball team this season. Melloni Benson was announced as the new head coach for the Panthers in early October, replacing Kaserra Owens, who is now on the staff for the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team.
Benson brings with her a wealth of experience. She joins Pitt-Bradford from Central State University where she was an assistant coach last season and has served as the interim head coach since May. Benson has a long history coaching basketball as an individual skills trainer, and a High School and AAU coach.
She played at Division I Howard University from 2003-2007, averaging 9.5 points per game in her college career. “I can tell you immediately what appealed to me was just the community at Bradford, the scenery,” Benson, a Dayton (Ohio) native, said.
“I had a list that I play to God for. It’s a scripture that says write it down, make it plain. I want a beautiful ride to work, a salad bar I can at lunch at every day, I want certain kids I can work with that fit with how I want to do things.
“I knew I was going to have to move and make a transition. I didn’t know where. I saw this position was open, I looked into it, and this was a perfect opportunity for me.
I applied, they got back to me, I went through the whole interview process and when I came out here, I wasn’t even sure, but once I got here, this was everything I prayed for. That’s what appealed to me and from there, it took off very fast.
