Krista Gerlich Reshapes Texas Tech Women’s Basketball Staff Following Season End

After a 19-18 record in 2024-25, Texas Tech Lady Raider Basketball is making some big changes to its coaching team. Head coach Krista Gerlich said on Saturday that Ashley Odom and Plenette Pierson will no longer be with the team as associate head coaches, starting right away.

Jordan Vessels and Mitch Vanya will also return to their old jobs as Directors of Operations and Video and Scouting Operations, respectively.

The change in staff comes after the Lady Raiders reached the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) but lost to Florida.

Gelich said in a statement, "We appreciate the time and effort Coach Odom and Coach Pierson put into this program and wish them the best going forward." No one understands the high standards that have been set for this school better than us. We will work hard to hire people to help us bring Lady Raider Basketball back to the top.

Pierson, a former WNBA star and Texas Tech graduate, joined the school in 2021. Odom, on the other hand, had been on Gerlich's staff since the beginning of her time in office. Their departure marks a turning point for the school, which wants to pick up speed again after a season full of challenges and opportunities.

Gerlich stressed that the main goal going forward is to build a staff dedicated to the program's long-term goal of winning at a championship level. As soon as the off-season starts, the look for new assistant coaches is likely to begin.

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