OKLAHOMA CITY – The MACU Women's Basketball program continued to add to its staff for the upcoming 2025-26 season as Madison Russell is entering her first year as the lead assistant coach.
Russell comes to MACU from Stillwater after serving as student manager for NCAA D-I Oklahoma State from 2022-25, including being elevated to the head student manager for the 2024-25 season. Russell will be assisting Scott Morris, who is also entering his first year at the helm.
"I am extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity," stated Russell. "Being part of a university with such a strong community is truly special. I am eager to grow and contribute to the continued success of this program."
On top of organizing practice and in-game coaching duties, Russell's duties will also include handling the program's administrative duties and running the team's social media accounts.
In her role with the Cowgirls, Russell oversaw a team of 10 student managers, managing the daily operations, scheduling, and assignments, as well as coordinated pre-practice and game preparations along with handling camp duties. In her three-year tenure at Oklahoma State, the Cowgirls made a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2025. During that three-year stint, OSU amassed an overall record of 60-35 (.632), including a 31-23 mark in Big 12 play.
Since the summer of 2024, Russell also served as a ShotTracker specialist, managing the operations and data to assist the OSU women's basketball team to be one of the top 50 shooting teams in the country. Due to OSU's strong reputation with the analytical software, Russell served as a ShotTracker representative at the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in Tampa, Fla. from Apr. 4-6.
"I'm so excited to add Madison to our program," remarked Morris. "Her experience at the Division I level has equipped her to make an immediate impact here at MACU. Her faith, positive energy, and attention to detail is going to help elevate the young women in this program to their highest potential. Maddie is a dynamic young coach who is going to have a huge impact on the game of basketball in the years to come."
Russell is joining a MACU women's basketball program that has been on the rise over the last five years. The Evangels have qualified for five-straight NAIA Tournaments, including coming off its deepest postseason run this past season after advancing all the way to the final site for the first time in program history.
Mid-America Christian will officially tip off its season on Oct. 25 as the Evangels will head up to Wichita, Kan. for a 3 p.m. contest at Friends inside the Garvey Center.
