Sports

PSC Names Kayla Gordon Head Coach of Lady Pirates Basketball

Former Jacksonville University standout and Ole Miss assistant takes over a program coming off a 15-14 season

Pensacola State College has named Kayla Gordon as head coach of the Lady Pirates women’s basketball program, the college announced Monday. She takes over a program that finished the 2025-2026 season 15-14 and begins her new duties immediately as PSC prepares for the 2026-2027 season.

Gordon arrives at PSC after two seasons at the University of Mississippi, where she worked as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Rebels. While at Ole Miss, she helped build one of the nation’s top transfer portal classes and contributed to wins over LSU, Kentucky and Vanderbilt, including a run to the 2024-25 Sweet 16.

“I am honored and humbled to be named the next head coach at Pensacola State College. I want to sincerely thank President Ed Meadows and Athletic Director Bryan Lewallyn for believing in me and entrusting me with the opportunity to lead the Lady Pirates basketball program.”

A Florida connection. Gordon isn’t new to college basketball in the Sunshine State. From 2014 to 2018 she played for Jacksonville University, where she became one of the most decorated players in program history:

• Surpassed both 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds
• Remains the program’s all-time leading rebounder
• Named Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year
• Named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference
• Two-time ASUN Winner for Life selection
• Helped lead the Dolphins to an ASUN Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance

A career that spans two continents. After her playing days at Jacksonville, Gordon spent three seasons playing professional basketball in Europe, including a stint with Kronos in Greece, where she set a team single-game record with 31 rebounds, plus two seasons split among teams in Spain, Portugal and Finland. She then returned to Jacksonville University as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three years before moving on to Ole Miss.

What PSC is getting. Athletic Director Bryan Lewallyn said Gordon’s resume was only part of what made her stand out.

“Kayla’s experience as a highly accomplished student-athlete, professional and coach obviously brings tremendous value. She holds records as a Division I student-athlete and as a professional player, and she has coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference. The resume itself is impressive, but what stood out the most to us was her passion for developing young women.”

Lewallyn added that feedback on Gordon consistently pointed to her investment in developing “women of integrity and character,” calling it a match for the college’s broader goal of developing leaders who succeed in competition, the classroom and life.

Her vision for the program:

“My goal is to build a culture that develops champions on the court and leaders in life. We will be a program rooted in discipline, accountability, toughness and daily growth. I want our student-athletes to leave Pensacola State not only as better basketball players but as confident young women who are prepared to make an impact wherever life takes them.”