AUBURN, Ala. – Five members of the Auburn women's basketball staff have been assigned new titles for their roles within the program, head coach Johnnie Harris announced today.
Associate head coach Damitria Buchanan is now the team's offensive coordinator, and assistant coach Ketara Chapel has been named the team's recruiting coordinator.
Three other staff members have new titles. Tra'Cee Tanner has been elevated to director of program relations, operations and events. Reneisha Bolden is now the program's director of student-athlete success, and Connor Putman now has the title of director of creative content.
"I'm blessed to have a staff that is very versatile and highly talented," Harris said. "Our main goal is the success of this program, so I have shifted some responsibilities around with title changes of my support staff that allows for everyone's strengths to help elevate this program. Everyone on this staff goes above and beyond to ensure the success of this program and our student-athletes."
These changes are in addition to the previously announced promotions of Alex Stewart and Savannah Carter to the role of assistant coach.
Buchanan was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2022-23 season and served as the program's recruiting coordinator the past two years. She helped land a consensus top-25 class in her first year at Auburn. Prior to joining Harris' staff, she spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas, where she managed recruiting operations. She played for Harris at Texas A&M and came to Auburn with 10 years' Division I coaching experience.
Chapel begins her third season with the Tigers and adds the title of recruiting coordinator to her role for 2023-24. She followed Harris to Auburn from Texas, where she spent the 2020-21 season as coordinator of player development. Chapel was part of Harris' first recruiting class at Mississippi State, helping lead the Bulldogs to the Final Four as a senior in 2017.
Tanner has been involved with Auburn women's basketball as a player and a staffer since 2012. She joined the coaching staff last season as assistant director of operations. Prior to that, she served as assistant equipment manager for the athletic department, working with men's and women's basketball and volleyball. A four-year letter-winner for the Tigers from 2012-16, she was an All-SEC selection as a senior and played in 132 career games at Auburn, tied for the all-time program lead.
Bolden is in her fifth season on Auburn's staff, having served as special assistant to the head coach the last four years. A member of the 2009 SEC Championship team, she returned to the Plains in 2019 after spending the previous three years at Alabama State as an academic advisor and SAAC advisor. A 2011 Auburn graduate, Bolden played for the Tigers from 2006-10 and served as a student assistant coach her senior year.
Putman begins his second full season with the Tigers, where he is responsible for developing creative strategies for recruiting, social media and player branding. He came to Auburn after spending the 2021 season as creative director for football at Louisville. Putman has also worked in creative and live production at UTEP and The Citadel, along with a stint as media coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
