VIRGINIA TECH | 2017-18 WBB Team Guide

36 THE UNIVERSITY | STUDENT-ATHLETE SUPPORT | PLAYERS & STAFF | HISTORY & RECORDS 2017-18 BASKETBALL 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 from September 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 geared toward recruiting. Cox spent the previous 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 athletics 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 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 Ferrum, 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 athletics 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, Virginia 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, Virginia. 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, North Carolina. 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 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). Cox currently resides in Christiansburg, Virginia. Abby Daniels joined the Hokies in June 2016 as the assistant to the head coach. Daniels is responsible for managing the day- to-day operations of the women’s basketball office including clerical work, data entry, processing reimbursement paperwork and budget management. Daniels attended Bridgewater College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a minor in art. While at Bridgewater, Daniels played on the inaugural women’s golf team and was the first ever alum of the program. Daniels also served as the operations intern for the football team all four years. Some of her responsibilities included equipment, travel operations, recruiting operations, and game-day activities. Throughout her four years, she also served as the home women’s basketball videographer. During her senior year in college she was offered a one-year internship with the Virginia State Golf Association in Midlothian, Virginia. At the VSGA, she was able to travel to several tournaments and assist the staff with various administrative and operational responsibilities. She also had office tasks that included clerical work and tournament preparation. Daniels played a big part in the VSGA scholarship process. She assisted with all of the applications and all logistics leading up to the announcement of recipients. She also had a hand in preparing for the first annual Virginia Golf Hall of Fame. Daniels grew up in nearby Roanoke, Virginia, where she attended Cave Spring High School and played basketball for two years. VIDEO COORDINATOR BRIAN COX DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL SAMANTHA MITCHELL ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD COACH ABBY DANIELS