Kaleena Coleman was named the seventh head coach of the Clayton State women’s basketball team in March 2015 after serving as interim head coach for the 2014-15 season. She has been a fixture in the women’s basketball program both as a player and a coach since 2003.
Career Highlights
- 180 wins (Third Place Among Active Coaches in the Conference)
- 125 wins in the PBC (Second Place Among Active Coaches in the Conference)
- Four 20-win seasons
- Two PBC Defensive Player of the Year
- 16 All-Conference Players
- Two D2CCA All-Region Selections
- Nine PBC Players of the Week
- Five NCAA Tournament Appearances (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023)
Since taking over for Clayton State Hall of Famer Dennis Cox in July of 2014, Coleman has compiled a 180-129 record that includes four 20-win seasons and five NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. She has coached 16 All-Conference selections, two All-Region players and two PBC Defensive Players of the Year.
The 2024-25 season for Coach Coleman and the Lakers saw a lot of young faces and a lot of potential. The team went 10-19 and 7-11 in conference play. This season also saw the conference grow in competition with the resurgence of North Georgia, Columbus State, and Augusta to just new a few. The Lakers picked up a couple of high profile results including defeating Augusta and NCAA Elite Eight team Georgia Southwestern at home and sweeping Lander for the first time since 2013-14. The Lakers also played an exhibition against Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who were coming off another Final Four season. Leading the Lakers this season was third-team all-conference selection Jadah Waite, who wrote her name into the record books. Waite became just the ninth Laker to score 1,000 career points when she did it on January 18th against Flagler. She finished her five-year career with the fifth most points in program history (1,159) and the third most threes made (144) and field goals attempted (1,043) (Only one of five to attempt over 1,000 career field goals and first since Tanisha Woodard who played from 2008-12). The Lakers also saw Jasmyn Burts, Jada Alston, and Sariya Henry have good years while newcomers Ky'leo Worriels, Kyla Greene, and Nya Young made immediate impacts.
The 2023-24 season for Coach Coleman and the Lakers saw them finish with a 9-19 record and went 7-11 in the conference. The Lakers finished in sixth place in the conference. This season saw the Lakers go 2-7 in the non-conference season and then went 7-11 in league play. Under the direction of Coach Coleman, Jadah Waite earned her first all-conference distinction, gathering third-team honors. The team also saw Aaliyah Reid break the school record for the most offensive rebounds in a single game with 12 vs. North Georgia (3/2/2024). The season also saw the Lakers take down USC Beaufort twice, and Columbus State and Lander down once. Columbus State eventually took second in the Conference Tournament while Lander finished fourth in the conference.
In the 2022-23 season, Coach Coleman earned her 150th career win on January 19th, 2023, when the Lakers beat the USC Aiken Pacers on a Jessica Maye buzzer-beater, 64-63, in overtime. In the 2022-23 season, the Lakers started the season 7-6 in non-conference play. Clayton State then went 4-4 at the start of Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play. The Lakers then went on a hot streak won 10 of their next 12 games and landed in the second-seed in the PBC Tournament. The Lakers then fell in the PBC Semifinals but they advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Tournament started off with a victory over Lenoir-Rhyne, 65-48. That was the first NCAA Tournament victory for Coach Coleman and the first for the Lakers since 2013 Then, the Lakers ran into the No.1 seeded Catawba Indians, who eventually advanced to the Final Four. Also this season, Coleman earned her 150th career win on January 19th, 2023, when the Lakers beat the USC Aiken Pacers on a Jessica Maye buzzer-beater, 64-63, in overtime.
Coach Coleman guided First-Team All-PBC and Defensive Player of the Year selection Audrey McElhaney to one of the best seasons by a Laker. McElhaney led the Lakers, the PBC, and was sixth in the nation with 125 offensive rebounds. As a team, the Lakers were fourth in the nation with 5.3 blocks a game and was third with 164 total blocks. Coleman also developed and mentored second-team All-PBC selection Laylah Davis, who led the team in three pointers and free throw percentage. During the season, the Lakers upset the eventual Regular Season and Tournament Champion Georgia Southwestern twice and took down North Georgia for the second time since the 2019-20 season. The Lakers swept the season series with Georgia Southwestern, Columbus State (three games), Flagler, and Augusta.
The 2021-22 campaign was one of Coleman's most challenging seasons. The Lakers battled injuries and COVID throughout the first half of the season and reached full strength in late January. After dropping the first five conference games of the season, Clayton State took forfeit wins against Georgia College and No. 7 Lander. They followed that with a last-second win at home against Flagler before dropping the next two games on the road.
The Lakers closed the season with a 5-3 record, including an upset win at No. 11 UNG and were the sixth seed entering the PBC Tournament. The Lakers then knocked off GSW in the quarters before upsetting No. 6 Lander in the semis. The Lakers battled No. 9 UNG in the championship game but came up just short of the title. The PBC title game appearance was the first for Coleman since taking over the program.
Audrey McElhaney and Timi'a Swanson earned second-team All-Conference honors.
Prior to the 2020-21 season beginning, the Peach Belt Conference announced that the season was to begin in January of 2021 and feature a 16-game, conference only slate due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers managed to play 14 of the scheduled games and advanced to the conference tournament only to fall to No. 6 North Georgia to conclude the season at 10-5.
Following the season, Clayton State landed two student-athletes on the All-Conference list with Audrey McElhaney grabbing first-team honors while Timi’a Swanson was named second team.
The pandemic originally affected the Lakers at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season as the NCAA Division II Tournament was canceled on March 12. Clayton State had earned a berth in the tournament as the No. 6 seed and was scheduled to play the second seed and 15th ranked North Georgia in the opening round.
The Lakers finished that season with a 20-10 record and a 15-5 conference record. Taneria Wilson was named an All-Region selection after taking home PBC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference honors earlier in the season. She also was named PBC Player of the Week three times that season.
That season also saw the team take down two nationally ranked teams.
For the 2018-19 season, Clayton State put together a 21-10 season as the Lakers went 16-6 in conference play. The team met Wingate, who they beat earlier in the season, in the NCAA Tournament, but fell in the first round.
Excluding the 2020-21 pandemic season, the 2017-18 was the only season Coleman did not have a winning record and is just her second season not to feature 20 wins. The Lakers posted a 14-15 record.
The 2016-17 season marks the best season for Coleman in terms of wins and winning percentage. The Lakers went 24-7 including a 15-4 mark in the PBC that featured a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
That season also featured three wins over ranked opponents.
Clayton State put together a 22-7 record during the 2015-16 season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament after posting a 15-4 mark in league play. That season Clayton State was either ranked or received votes in the D2SIDA and
USA Today Sports Coaches Poll a total of 18 times, including high water marks of No. 12 in D2SIDA and No. 19 in
USA Today. Fueling those performances would be a 13-game win streak from November 28 through January 24 that included a 73-61 win over No. 15 Francis Marion (D2SIDA) on December 19, 2015.
In that first year of 2014-15 she inherited a roster with only eight returning players and battled injuries to key players to lead that team to a 17-12 overall record while challenging some of the nation's best programs.
Prior to taking over as head coach, Coleman was a long-time assistant on Dennis Cox’s staff.
During her more than a decade in Morrow as a player and assistant, she helped guide the Lakers to 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2004-14) and 11 overall, four South Atlantic/Southeast Region titles with matching trips to the Elite 8 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) and the 2011 NCAA Division II National Championship.
That stretch has also included 17 NCAA Tournament victories, seven PBC regular season titles (2005, 2007, 2008, 2011-14) and three tournament championships (2005, 2007, 2010).
After two years at Darton College, where she was named the team’s Most Improved Player, Coleman came to Clayton State and was a two-year member of the women's basketball team from 2003-05.
During that time, she played in 56 games, and was part of the 2004-05 team that went a then program record 25-7. That squad also earned the Lakers their first ever NCAA Division II Tournament berth, the first Peach Belt Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships and delivered the second biggest turnaround in DII, improving from just 10-18 the year before.
A graduate of Clayton State University, Coleman holds a Bachelors in Education earned in 2006.
Coleman Year by Year Record
| Season |
Record |
Pct. |
Conf. Record |
Conf. Pct. |
Post-Season Result |
| 2024-25 |
10-19 |
.344 |
7-11 |
.388 |
PBC Tournament Quarterfinals |
| 2023-24 |
9-19 |
.321 |
7-11 |
.388 |
PBC Tournanment Quarterfinals |
| 2022-23 |
19-12 |
.613 |
12-6 |
.667 |
PBC Regular Season Runner-Up
PBC Semifinalist
NCAA Round of 32 (Second Round) |
| 2021-22 |
14-13 |
.519 |
6-10 |
.375 |
PBC Finals |
| 2020-21^ |
10-5 |
.667 |
10-4 |
.714 |
PBC Semifinals |
2019-20
|
20-10
|
.667
|
15-5
|
.750
|
PBC Semifinals
NCAA First-Round (Canceled) |
2018-19
|
21-10
|
.677
|
16-6
|
.727
|
PBC Semifinals
NCAA First Round |
| 2017-18 |
14-15 |
.483 |
11-11 |
.500 |
PBC Quarterfinals |
2016-17
|
24-7
|
.774
|
15-4
|
.788
|
PBC Semifinals
NCAA First Round |
2015-16
|
22-7
|
.759
|
15-4
|
.789
|
PBC Semifinals
NCAA First Round |
| 2014-15 |
17-12 |
.586 |
11-8 |
.578 |
PBC Quarterfinals |
| Total |
180-129 |
.582 |
125-80 |
.609 |
11 Seasons |
^ - COVID-19 Shortened Season
! - Regular Season Champions
* - Tournament Champions
Updated 3/25/2025
