Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University’s women’s basketball program has announced the addition of Harison Russell and Blake Howard to its coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. Head coach Kelly Bond-White made the announcement during the pre-season.

Russell returns to Southern Illinois after serving as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State during the 2024-25 season. Before that, he was a graduate assistant under Coach Bond-White at SIU from 2022 to 2024. He also worked with Bond-White as a student manager at Texas A&M.

In his new role, Russell will serve as a full-time assistant coach, which includes off-campus recruiting responsibilities. He will also take over duties previously handled by SIU Hall of Famer Cartaesha Macklin, who left her position for family reasons.

"Harison knows our program, our young ladies, and SIU. He joined us this summer, allowing Coach Mack the opportunity to help in his transition back to SIU. We are excited to have him back in a much different capacity. His work ethic and attention to detail touch every phase of our program," said Bond-White.

Blake Howard, an SIU graduate, joins the staff after working as an assistant women’s basketball and strength and conditioning coach at Phoenix College (NJCAA) in 2024-25. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at North Canyon High School in Phoenix from 2022 to 2023 and was promoted to varsity head coach for the 2023-24 season. Howard began his coaching career on the AAU circuit with Hoop Code Basketball Academy in Arizona in 2020.

Howard is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Sports Administration at SIU.

"Blake jumped right into classes this past August. There's something about someone who wants to relocate across the country to come home. Blake was first brought to my attention at last year's Final Four. I loved his energy and passion for the university. He served as a practice player during his undergrad years, which showed me he could serve unselfishly. He brings diverse experience to our staff. He has an opportunity to make the program better in a variety of ways," Bond-White stated.

Fans can follow updates on Salukis women’s basketball through their social media accounts on Twitter (@SIU_WBasketball), Instagram (@SIU_WBasketball), Facebook (Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics), or by downloading the "Salukis" mobile app available on both major app stores.