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2016-17
BASKETBALL
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THE UNIVERSITY
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STUDENT-ATHLETE SUPPORT
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PLAYERS & STAFF
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HISTORY & RECORDS
DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL
Samantha Mitchell joined the Hokies in April
2016 as Director of Player Personnel.
She previously served as the assistant
director of basketball operations at James
Madison. In her role with the Dukes, Mitchell
assisted the director of operations with team
travel, film exchange and equipment. She also
oversaw members of the practice squad and
student managers.
Prior to that Mitchell worked as an event
management intern for Sports Backers,
where she assisted the staff with day-to-day
operations and event planning, specifically in
the areas of marketing, development and sponsorship. Primary projects
included RVA Streets Alive and Anthem Moonlight Ride. From January
2015 to May 2015, Mitchell was a group sales associate for the Richmond
Flying Squirrels, focusing on ticket sales, hospitality areas and luxury suites.
Mitchell also served as a student manager for the Dukes fromSeptember
2011 to May 2014. She managed and trained the student-manager staff,
supported the director of basketball operations in game day tasks and
assisted in set-up and break-down of all practice and game day equipment.
A 2014 JMU graduate, Mitchell earned her Bachelor of Science in
sport and recreation management with a minor in business. She earned
her Masters’ of Education in sport leadership in 2015 from VCU.
Brian Cox joined the Hokies in August
2016 as the Video Coordinator for the
Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Team. He
is responsible for managing all film exchange
and creating videos and graphics for the
Women’s Basketball Team. Cox also oversees
all Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball social
media outlets managed by the team.
Brian Cox spent the last four years at
Radford University, serving as the primary
contact for volleyball, men’s basketball, men’s
and women’s golf, and women’s lacrosse.
Cox received his second promotion in a span
of eight months when he was elevated to
Assistant AD for Communications in June 2015. Prior to his promotion, Cox
was the Director of Athletics Communications. In that role, he oversaw the
social media strategy of the department, the hall of fame committee and
the assistant director of athletics communications. In just his first year with
Radford, Cox rebranded the Highlanders’ social media outlets, in addition
to adding Facebook and Twitter accounts for the university’s 19 athletic
programs. He was also behind the production of RU’s fan pages, which
replaced the traditional media guides in the summer of 2013.
The valedictorian of the 2012 graduating class of Ferrum College, Cox
earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis
in sports management. In addition to his academic success at Ferrum, he
VIDEO COORDINATOR
was a standout golfer for the Panthers, who compete in one of the toughest
leagues in NCAA Division III—the USA South Athletic Conference. While
at the Southwest Virginia campus, Cox worked extensively in Ferrum’s
sports information department. He assisted with the design and build
of the Panthers’ new athletics website,
www.ferrumpanthers.com.Cox
also assisted with the promotion of Ferrum’s 16 athletic programs,
highlighted by the women’s basketball and softball teams’ runs in their
respective NCAA Tournaments in 2012. He fueled the enhancement of
the Panthers’ social media presence, as well as the launch of live video.
He also served as the play-by-play broadcaster for Ferrum’s men’s and
women’s basketball squads.
The Floyd, Va. native served as one of the statisticians at the 2010
NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis National Championships hosted by the
University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. The next summer,
Cox was asked to serve in the same capacity, working alongside Golfstat,
at the 2011 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf National Championships hosted
by the Greensboro Sports Commission at the Grandover Resort in
Greensboro, N.C. A week later, he assisted with the NCAA Division I Men’s
Golf Regional hosted by Virginia Tech at the Pete Dye River Course. Cox
is no stranger to the New River Valley, having grown up in nearby Floyd
County. He attended Floyd County High School, where he played golf
for the Buffaloes. The squad won the Group A Golf state crown in 2006
and 2007. He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of
America (CoSIDA) and the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).