Coach Shayne Ross started as the women’s basketball coach at Oakland City University prior to the 2016-17 season. In his first season, Coach Ross led the Lady Oaks to a record of 17-7, while scoring 98.3 points per game, good enough for top honors among NCAA and NCCAA teams.
A native of James Island, South Carolina, Ross joined the United States Marines immediately after graduation from James Island High School.
After leaving the Marines, Ross enrolled at Charleston Southern University, where he worked in the department of athletics as a student assistant, graduating in 2011 with a B.A. in Management.
That fall, he began his coaching career at Charleston Math & Science High School from 2011-15 as an assistant basketball coach, helping the teams to three trips to the state tournament.
Coach Ross worked with all areas of the program at Charleston Math & Science, including working with individual player development, on-floor coaching, scouting, and game preparation and planning.
While at Charleston Math & Science, he also worked with the boys varsity program.
During his stay at Charleston Math & Science, Coach Ross enrolled in graduate school at Liberty University, where he earned a M.S. in Sports Management in 2012.
He immediately enrolled in the MBA program at Liberty University and graduated with an MBA in 2014.
In the summer of 2015, Coach Ross accepted the position of Director of Athletics and Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Palmetto Scholars Academy, where he led the girls’ varsity to a 14-6 record.
In addition to his coaching duties, Ross was also the school’s director of athletics, accepting the challenge of administering the varsity, junior varsity, and lower level sports programs, including the giant task of fund-raising.
In April of 2016, Coach Ross decided he wanted to get back to working with college age student/athletes and applied for the position of Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Lecturer in Business at Oakland City University.
In addition to his coaching duties at Oakland City University, Ross teaches in the Oakland City University School of Business, teaching classes in Economics, Sports Marketing, Human Resource Law, and Marketing.
“I have been blessed to have been given this opportunity to teach and coach here at Oakland City University,” states Ross, “This is a great school with a great staff, both in the area of academics and in the area of athletics.
“I hope to continue the tradition of excellence here at Oakland City University, both in the classroom as a teacher and mentor, and as the women’s basketball coach.
“I have the great opportunity to teach and mentor students from all walks of life and have the pleasure and responsibility to provide leadership for each of those with whom I come in contact to help each one become all he or she wants.”
“I can promise this,” says Ross, “We will keep pressure on every opponent on both ends of the basketball floor the entire game
“We will be exciting to watch the entire 40 minutes of basketball every time we take the court.”
With the up tempo style on offense and the pressure on defense, the “Lady Oaks” could provide OCU faithful with plenty of high scoring basketball.
Ross wants to give a new and exciting look to “Lady Oak” Basketball.
