Rutgers University-New Brunswick Women's Basketball

Gary Redus II was named the fourth Rutgers women’s basketball head coach in program history on March 9, 2026. Redus brings championship pedigree to the Scarlet Knights after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at LSU, where he helped the program capture its first national championship in 2023. Widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the country, Redus was named to the WBCA’s prestigious “Thirty Under 30” list in 2020. Redus has built a reputation for identifying elite talent throughout his coaching career. He helped LSU assemble nationally ranked recruiting classes during his time, including a pair of unanimous No. 1 classes in 2023 and 2025. Redus joined head coach Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU prior to the 2022-23 season and spent four seasons in Baton Rouge. He was instrumental in helping to guide the program’s rise to national prominence, contributing to the historic 2023 NCAA Championship run and back-to-back Elite Eight appearances during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In his first season at LSU, Redus made an immediate impact as the Tigers landed ESPN’s top-ranked recruiting class that fall. He worked closely with the team’s guards, developing a dynamic backcourt that directed the offense, scored at all three levels and defended at a high level. LSU emerged as one of the nation’s most explosive teams during that season, leading the SEC in scoring and ultimately capturing the 2023 national title. Before joining LSU, Redus spent one season as an as

A highly respected post player coach, Daphne Mitchell joins Redus at Rutgers ahead of the 2026-27 season after sharing the sidelines together at LSU. Mitchell spent five seasons with the Tigers, including four as an assistant coach with Redus. Mitchell played a key role in LSU's recruiting success, helping secure two top-ranked classes alongside Redus and was instrumental in the Tigers' 2023 national championship run. She worked closely with the post unit, developing a dominant frontcourt that shined on both ends of the floor. Mitchell has helped develop elite post players, including Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow, both top seven WNBA Draft selections. Under her guidance, both rank among LSU's top 10 all-time rebounders. Mitchell previously spent six seasons under Kim Mulkey at Baylor, contributing to recruiting, scouting, social media, film breakdown and game preparation. Prior to her time in Waco, Mitchell served two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Murray State. Mitchell also held assistant coaching roles at Jacksonville and Tennessee Tech. Mitchell played collegiately at Georgia Tech from 2004-08. During her career with the Yellow Jackets, Mitchell played in 108 games. In 2006, Mitchell was honored by the ACC with a Top Six for Service award for her commitment to the Atlanta community, where she worked with the Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta Fight Against Breast Cancer, Hosea's Feed the Hungry program and volunteered at local elementary and midd

Arriving ahead of the 2026-27 slate, LaDazhia Williams brings extensive on-court experience and success to Piscataway after winning a national championship with the LSU Tigers in 2023. Williams started all 34 games during LSU's title run, averaging 9.9 points and a career-high 6.0 rebounds per game in her final collegiate season. She elevated her play in the NCAA Tournament, posting 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game across LSU's six-game championship run. Williams was selected in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, 17th overall, by the Indiana Fever before going on to play professionally overseas in Israel, France, Mexico, Greece, Romania and Lebanon. Williams spent her collegiate career in the SEC, beginning at South Carolina for two seasons. She transferred to Missouri where she played three seasons, before finishing her final year of eligibility with the Tigers. Prior to her collegiate career, Williams was ranked as the nation's No. 12 forward and the No. 48 overall prospect in the Class of 2017 by ESPNW. A native of Bradenton, Florida, she attended Lakewood Ranch High School.

Lauren Hansen joins the coaching staff for the 2026-27 season, bringing Big Ten playing experience to the Rutgers bench after concluding her collegiate career at Michigan in 2023-24, following three seasons at Missouri. During her graduate season with the Wolverines, Hansen started all 34 games at point guard, averaging 11.9 points per game and scoring in double figures on 23 occasions. She earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition from both coaches and media while helping Michigan to a 20-14 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Across her time in the SEC, Hansen appeared in more than 100 games and averaged double figures in two seasons, while earning three SEC Academic Honor Roll selections. After her time in Ann Arbor, Hansen played professionally in Poland and Croatia. A native of Long Island, New York, Hansen graduated from Missouri with a degree in communications and sociology before earning her graduate degree from Michigan in sports management.

Leilani Smikle enters her ninth season working with the women's basketball program. She is responsible for the day-to-day equipment operations of the team, which includes distributing practice gear, game uniforms and equipment for student-athletes and staff. A native of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Smikle joined the Scarlet Knights football program in 2006 as a recruiting assistant, aiding in all aspects of the recruiting process. Her responsibilities included coordinating official visits and maintaining the recruiting database. She also managed a staff of recruiting assistants. Smikle began her collegiate studies at Rutgers in 2000 before completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Houston with a B.S. in sports administration in 2006. She went on to earn her Masters in School Counseling from Rutgers Graduate School of Education. While an undergraduate at Rutgers, Smikle served as a football student equipment manager. She moved to an administrative assistant role in 2003-04 and was appointed to assistant equipment manager for the 2004-05 season. Married to Antonio Smikle, a former football assistant coach at Hofstra University. The couple have four sons, Antonio, Jr., Jordan, CJ and Peyton.

Manisha Redus arrives at Rutgers for the 2026-27 campaign with more than 15 years of playing and coaching experience across the NCAA Division I and Division II levels. She most recently spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic. She also served as the Owls recruiting coordinator, leading the charge to sign the program's first top 100 class. Prior to her time in Boca Raton, Redus served as the head coach at Palm Beach Atlantic from 2018-25, taking over a Sailfish program in its first year as a full member of the Sunshine State Conference. Under her leadership, Palm Beach Atlantic returned to the SSC Tournament in 2024-25, highlighted by six SSC weekly honors and two All-SSC selections. Anabell Ellison led the conference in steals, while Kash Ayuso ranked second in scoring. The Sailfish posted their best season under Redus in 2023-24, featuring the conference's leading scorer (Ayuso, 19.7 ppg) and leading rebounder (Mariyah Fletcher, 10.7 rpg). In 2022-23, Redus guided the program to its first double-digit win season since 2015-16 when the team joined the Sunshine State Conference. During the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, she led the Sailfish to their first SSC Tournament appearance, advancing to the finals. That season also saw Shekinah Guthrie named SSC Defensive Player of the Year, the first in program history. Before Palm Beach Atlantic, Redus spent three seasons as an assistant coach at West Georgia, helping the program increase its win tota

Preston Beverly comes to Rutgers just before the 2026-27 season with 19 years of experience on the sideline, most recently serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri from 2023-25. During the 2024-25 season, Beverly played a pivotal role in the development of Grace Slaughter, who led the Tigers with 15.0 points per game and was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Under his guidance, Slaughter significantly improved her three-point shooting, connecting on 45.9 percent from beyond the arc, an 8.8 percent increase from her freshman to sophomore season. Beverly also helped elevate Mama Dembele's performance, as the Tigers' point guard earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors while ranking among the top 10 nationally in both steals and assists. During his first season with the Tigers, he helped Hayley Frank to new heights as she broke 2,000 career points and currently ranks fourth on the program's all-time scoring list. A veteran coach, Beverly joined Missouri after serving as head coach at Evangel for two seasons. He led the Valor to consecutive Heart Tournament Quarterfinal appearances and coached five all-conference selections during his tenure. Prior to Evangel, Beverly worked extensively on the grassroots circuit. He served as a hub director with Nike Girls Missouri Phenom EYBL which has had several top finishes on the GEYBL circuit. He also coached and was program director for Nike Girls Exodus NYC EYBL middle school programs. During his work with the Exodus 17U EYB