SHERMAN, Texas - Olivia Hunt has been named the inaugural Brittany Simpson Endowed Women's Assistant Basketball Coach, athletics director David Norman has announced. Hunt most recently served as the assistant coach for the University of Texas-Dallas.
The Brittany Simpson Endowed Women's Assistant Basketball Coach is made possible through the generosity of David and Joy Simpson, and is named in honor of their late daughter Brittany, who played for the 'Roo women's basketball program during the 2005-06 season. Hunt earned her undergraduate degree in 2017 and her master's degree in 2018, both from Austin College. During her time at Austin College, Hunt was a two-time winner of the Brittany Simpson Award, given annually to the women's basketball player who exhibits attributes which support and encourage her teammates, is energetic, a competitor, and selfless in her role as a member of the team. In addition, Hunt earned the Brittany Simpson Scholarship upon graduation, enabling her to earn her master's degree from Austin College.
Hunt served as a graduate assistant under head coach Michelle Filander while earning her master's. She then worked as an assistant coach for the Texas A&M-Commerce women's basketball team under former 'Roo men's basketball player Jason Burton during the 2017-18 season. Following her stint in Commerce, Hunt worked as an assistant under another Austin College alum, former women's basketball player Polly Thomason, at UT-Dallas from 2019 through this past season. While at UTD, Hunt was named the TABC Small College Assistant Coach of the Year following the 2019-20 campaign.
As a player and graduate assistant at Austin College, Hunt helped guide the 'Roos to a record of 82-48, and during her one season at Texas A&M-Commerce she helped lead that program to its first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in more than 10 years. She also helped coach UT-Dallas to a record of 52-17 over the course of her time in Richardson.
Along with her duties as the women's assistant basketball coach, Hunt will also be serving as an assistant for athletics communications. As a student at Austin College, she was a four-time Tim Calvert Sports Information Intern, and during the spring of 2018 worked as an Academic Persistence Monitor for the 'Roo athletics department.