MORAGA, Calif. - Second year head coach Jeff Cammon announced the addition of Brendan Wheeler and former WNBA player Brittany Boyd-Jones to the staff ahead of the 2024-25 season. Wheeler joins the Gaels coaching staff after two seasons with Cal Poly Pomona and Jones slides over after a pair of seasons at Cal State East Bay. 

With the Broncos, Wheeler was a part of the men's basketball staff under longtime head coach Greg Kamansky. Prior to Pomona, Wheeler spent three seasons as the Director of Player Development for the men's program at Cal Baptist University.  

Since beginning at CBU in July of 2019, Wheeler aided the coaching staff in recruiting, game planning, and opponent scouting, mentored student-athletes to achieve academic goals, co-directed a summer youth basketball camp, assisted team travel and executed all video operations for the program.

From 2017 to 2019 Wheeler served as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the NCAA Division I USC Trojans Men's Basketball program, assisting the coaching staff with opponent scouting reports, on-court player development, aiding preparation of on-campus recruiting visits, and facilitating video exchange with opponents.

Wheeler earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology from CSUN in 2010. He earned his Masters of Arts degree in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific University in 2016 and a Masters in Gerontology from USC in 2019.

Brittany Boyd-Jones brings a load of playing experience after a decorated collegiate career and six seasons in the WNBA. Her playing career began with Cal in 2011 where she had a tremendous impact as a true freshman, being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention. Jones was one of only two freshmen to have ten steals in a single game and finished the season ranked 69th in the country and third in the Pac-12 with 2.54 steals per game. 

Jones got better as her career continued and she would have a breakout season in 2013, averaging a career high 14.7 points and 6.0 assists per game. Jones concluded her Cal career as a three-time First Team recipient, a two-time All-American and a three-time All-Pac-12 Defensive Team recipient. She tallied 134 games played averaging 12.6 points, 5.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds becoming the first player in Pac-12 history to reach career totals of 1,400 points, 700 rebounds, 600 assists, and 300 steals.  

Jones went on to be selected 9th overall to the New York Liberty in the 2015 WNBA draft. She would spend five seasons in New York and be named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team in 2015 after playing in 30 games, averaging nearly seven points and shooting 40% from the field.

In 2016, Jones ranked fourth in the league with 1.6 steals per game and 15th with over three assists per game. She would dish out a career high 10 assists later that season against the Dallas Wings on September 11th. Jones finished her WNBA career with 130 games played averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals.

After a brief stint with the Chicago Sky in 2021, Jones would enter the coaching ranks and join the women's basketball staff at Division II member Cal State East Bay. Jones served as an assistant for two seasons prior to coming over to Saint Mary's earlier this fall. 

"It's always tough losing great people, but we've been fortunate enough to add two amazing people to our staff", said head coach Jeff Cammon. "Brittany and Brendan will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our program. With these additions, we're excited to continue the process of building a special culture here at Saint Mary's."

The Gaels will kickoff their 2024-25 campaign with a road matchup against Cal on November 4th and will then make their home debut on November 9th in a return game against Denver, who they defeated last season 61-56. 

The full 2024-25 schedule can be found HERE or at smcgaels.com. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.

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