Annitra Cole is entering third season at Virginia State University after spending the 2018-2019 at Kentucky State University as an assistant women’s basketball coach. While with the Thorobreds, she assisted with the development of practice, prepared scouting reports, coordinated individual guard workouts, and ensured compliance with the university, conference, and NCAA.
During her time with the Thorobreds, she helped guide the team to some tremendous performances throughout the season and she will look to bring the same level of excitement to the Trojans.The Thorobreds entered the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament as the 7th seed and recorded three upsets that led to them advancing to the tournament's title game. Kentucky State’s run would end with a two-point loss and would end their season with an overall record of 16-14. Cole was also named interim head coach for 13 games and lead the Thorobreds on a 5-game winning streak before the Christmas break.
Prior to arriving in Kentucky, Cole served four years as the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach for Winston-Salem State University where her duties included recruiting, scouting opponents, guard development, and coordinating team travel.
In 2011, Cole was named Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, MD, where she guided the Lady Shock to a 6-17 record, the most wins since the 2007-08 season. During her first season WAU defeated Post University (CT), who represents the highly competitive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), and had two players that were in the top ten in their conference in points and rebounds. She also coached four All-Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) award recipients, an All-American United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Honorable Mention selection, and an United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Winter Sport All-Academic team member. Cole also served as the Compliance Coordinator and the Sports Information Director. These responsibilities included maintaining all institutional, NCAA, USCAA, and NAIA policies, rules and regulations concerning recruitment, financial aid, eligibility, and prepared media releases for the general-public regarding information about the university’s athletics department and programs.
In 2010, Cole joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as an intern where her responsibilities included assisting with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), assisting with conference and NCAA rules interpretations, and monitoring eligibility checklists and weekly participation rosters.
During the 2009-10 season, she served as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach for Hampton University and was primarily responsible for guard development, managing basketball public relations, and recruiting for the program. The Lady Pirates won the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Basketball Tournament Title, which led to a No. 15 seed in the NCAA 2010 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Cole’s college coaching career began as an assistant coach at her alma mater North Carolina Central University. She spent three seasons with the Eagles program where she capped her stint with a stellar 2006-07 season in which the team amassed a 26-6 overall record and a 17-3 record in the highly competitive CIAA. The team finished the effort by winning the 2007 CIAA championship and made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional Tournament. The team was also named Co-Black College Sports Page Women’s Basketball National Champions. With the Eagles, Cole’s duties included working with the perimeter players, scheduling, recruiting, team travel, monitoring academic progress, and film exchange.
Cole remained in Durham and in 2004 became an assistant coach for the girls varsity basketball team at Riverside High School, and was also the head coach of the junior varsity squad during the 2004-05 season.
As a player, Cole earned three letters at NCCU (1999-02) and was a part of three CIAA Western Division regular-season championship teams and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship “Sweet 16” for the first time in the program’s history. She was named team captain during the 2001-02 season.
Cole earned both her bachelor’s and a master’s degrees from North Carolina Central University. She is a native of Oxon Hill, MD and graduated from Friendly High School where she earned second team All-Met Prince George’s County 3A/2A and second team All-Met honors during her junior and senior seasons. She was named a team captain from 1995-97. She is also a graduate of the NCAA and BCA Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) Program in 2013, and a 2012 graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy. She is also a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), and Women Leaders in College Sports.
