Former Gamecock Ashley Bruner lands head coaching job with Midlands girls program
Former South Carolina basketball standout Ashley Bruner is getting her first head coaching opportunity on the high school varsity level.
Gray Collegiate Academy has hired Bruner as its next girls basketball coach. Bruner, replacing David Golden, was introduced Wednesday at a news conference.
Bruner was a coach with Gray’s boys program last season. She coached the War Eagles’ B Team (freshmen) and was an assistant on varsity squad. The Gray Collegiate boys made it to the Class 2A Upper State championship game before losing to Christ Church.
Bruner said it didn’t take her long from being at Gray to know that coaching was definitely something she wanted to do.
“I’ve always been like a player-coach, but I didn’t know it was really for me until I came and was around the boys,” Bruner said. “For the first month I was here at Gray, I realized this could be my big-girl job.”
Gray boys coach Dion Bethea said Bruner has all the intangibles to be a great coach and help elevate the program in the future.
“She has everything we are looking for at Gray Collegiate Academy,” Bethea said. “She really works hard and her knowledge of the game speaks volumes. She wants to be a really, really good coach.”
Bruner was a standout high school player at Norman High in Oklahoma before coming to South Carolina and playing for Dawn Staley. She was second team All-SEC selection her senior year in 2013 and left the school with more than 700 rebounds. She ranked fourth in school history in games played with 128.
Bruner said she “bugged” Staley a lot for advice during the process in her transition from being a player to a coach.
“She has been that sound voice and kind of helped me because she has been through it,” Bruner said of Staley. “She played at the highest level and coached at the highest level. I have learned from her to be relatable. She has been so relatable and I want to give that same vibe to my players.”
After college, Bruner played basketball overseas and averaged 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds a game for Landerneau in France for the 2019-20 season.
Bruner comes from a big basketball family with brothers Jordan and Tommy playing college basketball. Jordan Bruner helped Alabama to NCAA Tournament appearance this year. Tommy Bruner was part of two state title teams at Gray and played the past two seasons at USC Upstate but announced he is in transfer portal. Jordan was in attendance Wednesday with his mother.
The Gray Collegiate girls went 9-8 this season in the COVID-shortened year and lost to Landrum in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. Two years ago, the War Eagle won a school-record 21 games and made it to the third round of the 2019 playoffs before losing to East Clarendon.
Midlands basketball coaching openings
Boys
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Lower Richland — Caleb Gaither — TBA
Spring Valley — Perry Dozier — TBA
Girls
A.C. Flora — Coral Johnson — TBA
Gray Collegiate — David Golden — Ashley Bruner
Northside Christian — Lucas Hargrove — Kristen Dickerson Fortenberry
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 11:05 AM.
