Hardaway alum Kelly Ellison excited for return as head coach

This past year, former Hardaway point guard Kelly Ellison addressed the Lady Hawks at their annual banquet.

Ellison, then an assistant at Carver, spoke to the team about the friendly atmosphere at Hardaway. Even though she was across town with the Lady Tigers, she told the Hardaway players they were still her family. She showed her admiration for the current crop of Lady Hawks, often swinging by their games once Carver’s ended.

Months after stressing the value of the Hardaway family, Ellison rejoined it.

Ellison was hired on April 18 as the Hardaway girls basketball coach, replacing Kendall Mills, who is also the school’s athletic director, boys basketball coach and volleyball. Ellison’s first foray into being a head coach comes nine years after she ended her high school playing days as Hardaway’s record holder for assists and steals.

Ellison recalled the process that led her back to her alma mater. She said Mills reached out to her about a month ago to gauge her interest in the position. As the talks continued, Ellison found out Hardaway was adding a business class, which is the class she taught at Carver.

By that point, it was clear to Ellison this was an offer she needed to take.

“I felt very honored,” Ellison said. “I’m very thankful and appreciative of the things I learned at Hardaway from the teachers, administrators and coach Mills. I really feel honored that he would entrust his girls to me. It made me feel like he has a lot of faith in me.”

Ellison said the transition will be much easier given her familiarity with the administration. Not only did she play for Mills at Hardaway, but principal Matt Bell was also in that position during Ellison’s time as a student. She applauded Mills for his availability, which may prove very useful once Ellison’s first season gets under way.

“I know there’s an open line of communication,” Ellison said. “I can call him at anytime, he’ll call me and there won’t be any issues. This connection will be easy.”

There’s also the strong connections Ellison has maintained with her former teammates. Ellison said several former Lady Hawks have reached out to her, voicing their interest in helping with workouts and things of that nature. Ellison said she is also lucky to have Jameisha Todd, who helps with the Lady Hawks and was her teammate.

Ellison seemed born to stand out on the basketball court. Standing on the sidelines, however, wasn’t quite the same.

Ellison said she never envisioned coaching, but that reality came together over the years. As a point guard, Ellison was entrusted to understand the roles of everyone on the court and how to make plays work. As she progressed to Stetson University and later Shorter, she found herself running youth summer camps.

Then in 2013, she became an assistant at Shorter.

“It was a natural thing that started coming out of me,” Ellison said.

Ellison’s past two seasons with Carver were her first at the high school level. Her run with the Lady Tigers culminated in a run to the state championship, where they lost to Columbus.

Ellison credited the Lady Tigers players and head coach Anson Hundley for helping her grow as an assistant.

“We had some really talented girls,” Ellison said. “I was able to learn a lot from the coaches that have experience in high school. (The players) picked up on things well when I taught them things, they made being an assistant coach even easier and they had good work ethic. All of that along with learning the knowledge and skills I could give them, I think that really helped them take it that far.”

Looking back at her successful playing days at Hardaway, Ellison said the love of the game shared between the team members was a crucial component. She recalled everyone on the squad never hesitating to get to workouts and practice thanks to the drive of constantly wanting to get better.

Ellison’s determination and work ethic were evident through her playing days, and the Lady Hawks will soon see how it translates to her coaching career.

“With the teams I played on, we had a love for the game,” Ellison said. “That would be one of the things I want to instill in the girls, and hopefully some of them already have that.”

Ellison pointed at June being crucial for she and the team, as they can begin practicing and preparing for the upcoming season. An offensive-mind coach, she said she’s not committed to one style of play yet, instead waiting to study her team and adapt based on their strengths.

Ellison, 26, is well aware of her relative lack of experience, but given how much she had accomplished at Hardaway, it would be a mistake to sell her short this time around.

“I know I’m a young coach, but I feel like I have a lot to offer with my experiences,” Ellison said. “I feel like I can relate to the girls very well because I’ve been there. I’m going to give them everything I have. I’m a hard worker, and I try to do the best I can do in everything.

“I’m going to push them to help them reach whatever level they’re trying to reach.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Hardaway alum Kelly Ellison excited for return as head coach."