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Indiana State University Athletics

Donchez Graham hire

Women's Basketball Kieran Intemann | GoSycamores.com

Mitchell announces addition of Donchez Graham to Indiana State women’s basketball staff

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women's basketball coach Marc Mitchell announced the addition of Donchez Graham to the Sycamore staff as associate head coach Wednesday afternoon.
 
Graham brings more than 25 years of coaching experience to the Sycamore staff and was most recently assistant coach and recruiting at Delaware State. He also has collegiate experience at Morgan State, College of Charleston and West Virginia, and high school head coaching experience at multiple schools in Maryland.
 
"I've known Donchez to be a hard-working coach with integrity," Mitchell said. "He has a history of working with forwards and getting them to play at a high level. Indiana State Women's Basketball is getting a coach who is dedicated to growing the women's game."
 
Graham was at Delaware State for the 2025-26 season, where he helped the Hornets to a three-win improvement in conference play and a two-win improvement overall. Delaware State's scoring defense with Graham on staff improved by nearly seven points per game compared to the previous season, while the Hornets' scoring margin improved by eight points. In addition, Delaware State's field goal and 3-point percentages both saw improvement during Graham's lone season with the Hornets. Liliana Harrison was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team under Graham's watch, while he was also the academic coordinator for a team which maintained a 3.2 cumulative GPA.
 
Prior to spending the 2025-26 season at Delaware State, Graham spent nine seasons on the staff at Morgan State, first as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and later as associate head coach from 2021-25. The eight-year tenure was his second stint with the Lady Bears, where he also coached from 2005-09. Morgan State won 120 games with Graham on staff from 2016-25, including a WNIT appearance in 2022, while finishing in the top three of the MEAC on four occasions. The Lady Bears claimed a share of the MEAC regular season title in 2022, the first in program history.
 
Morgan State was one of the top defensive teams in the nation during Graham's second stint with the Lady Bears. Under Graham, Morgan State ranked in the top 40 nationally in steals in seven of his last eight seasons, including multiple seasons where the Lady Bears ranked in the top 15 nationally in steals. Morgan State also ranked in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense three times during that span. With Graham on staff, the Lady Bears also emphasized crashing the glass, ranking in the top 30 nationally in offensive rebounds per game in eight of his nine seasons during his final stint. 14 Lady Bears earned All-MEAC recognition during Graham's second stint, while five earned MEAC All-Rookie Team accolades
 
Graham spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston, helping lead the Cougars to 35 wins and a pair of postseason appearances in the Women's Basketball Invitational. Charleston won three postseason games across their two WBI appearances in Graham's tenure, reaching the semifinals in 2014. Two Cougars earned All-CAA honors during Graham's tenure on staff, with Afreyea Tolbert being a first team selection and Alyssa Frye earning second team honors. The 2013-14 College of Charleston team under Graham's watch ranked among the best in the CAA in scoring offense, averaging nearly 70 points per game.
 
Graham was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at West Virginia for the 2009-10 season, helping the Mountaineers sign a top-50 recruiting class in his lone season in Morgantown. West Virginia went 29-6 during Graham's tenure on staff, finishing second in the Big East and reaching the conference championship game while reaching as high as No. 7 nationally in the AP Poll. The Mountaineers also secured an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the second round. West Virginia was one of the premier defensive teams in the nation in Graham's tenure, ranking fourth nationally in scoring defense and inside the top 20 in both field goal defense and 3-point defense. Two Mountaineers earned All-Big East accolades, with Liz Repella being a first team selection and Sarah Miles earning second team honors. In addition, Asya Bussie was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.
 
During his first stint at Morgan State, Graham helped lead the Lady Bears to 58 victories in four seasons. Morgan State set a program Division I single-season record with 19 wins and reached the WNIT in 2008, the program's first postseason invitation. The Lady Bears also reached the 2007 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title game during his first stint. Morgan State had three Top 100 recruiting classes while Graham was with the Lady Bears (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 by Blue Star Report, All-Star Girl's Report and Girls Collegiate Basketball Report). The Lady Bears ranked seventh in the nation in 2006-07 in field goal percentage defense and third in the nation in team steals in 2007-08. Three players earned all-conference recognition during Graham's first foray at Morgan State.
 
Prior to coming to Morgan State for the 2005-06 campaign, Graham spent three years as the head coach at Western High School. While at Western, he guided the team to a 46-6 record, a city title, two regional titles and two state final four appearances. His squads ended the season ranked in the top five by The Baltimore Sun on three occasionsHe had a team GPA of 3.25 and a graduation rate of 100 percent.
 
Graham also served four years as assistant coach at Dunbar High prior to his stint at Western, where the Poets tallied a 101-8 mark and were three-time Maryland State Class 2A/1A champions. The team also won two Baltimore City League titles and finished ranked No. 1 by The Baltimore Sun in 2001-02. Graham was also the athletic director and head coach for both the boy's and girl's basketball teams at Gwynn Lake Preparatory School for four seasons, finishing with a combined record of 200-35. Both programs won a pair of regional titles and earned top-20 rankings in the Baltimore Sun final polls.
 
Graham also has experience on the AAU circuit, guiding multiple Baltimore-area teams to national tournament appearances. His most recent stop at the AAU level was a two-year stint from 2014-16 as the head basketball trainer at Project Rising and the head coach of Team Adidas Shooting Stars. Graham also has experience with the Team Maryland Shooting Stars (2010-12) and Baltimore Cougars (1996-05) programs across multiple age divisions.
 
Graham obtained his bachelor's degree in psychology from Morgan State in 1991, and earned his master's degree in school improvement leadership from Goucher in 2003.
 
Graham joins assistant coaches Kietta Saunders and Mollie Williams, who are both entering their second season with the Sycamores, second-year graduate assistant Tyranny Brown and first-year graduate assistant Rebekah Atilano on Mitchell's staff.
 
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