COACHING STAFF

SALLY HIGGINS  |  ASSISTANT COACH

Sally Higgins begins her seventh season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Samford. Higgins is involved in all aspects of the women's basketball program.

Throughout her first five seasons at Samford, Higgins has been involved in recruiting, on-court coaching, travel planning and working with the strength and conditioning staff on the team's strength and conditioning program. 

Higgins was instrumental in the turnaround the program experienced during the 2019-20 season. After winning just 10 games the previous season, the Bulldogs posted a record of 18-14, and won the program's first Southern Conference regular-season title with a 10-4 league record. The team then won the program's third SoCon Tournament title. 

In her second season as an assistant for coach Kuhns, Samford Women's Basketball was just as memorable as her first, as the Bulldogs marched to an 11-2 record in Southern Conference play and their second-straight regular season league championship which led to a trip to the WNIT in Memphis. While the Bulldogs finished the year 14-11 overall, Samford played one of its most difficult schedules in program history in the midst of a global pandemic. On the road to the league title, Andrea Cournoyer was named SoCon Player of the Year and a unanimous All-SoCon first team selection while Natalie Armstrong was named All-SoCon as well.
 
Higgins came to Samford after serving as the director of basketball operations at Stephen F. Austin from the summer of 2015 until her hiring at Samford. At Stephen F. Austin, she was involved with nearly all facets of the women's basketball program, including team travel, scheduling, on-campus recruiting visits and equipment management, as well as assisting with the day-to-day functions of the office. 
 
Higgins played basketball at West Texas A&M from 2010-14, appearing in 109 games in her four-year career. She made 35 appearances during her senior season in 2013-14, averaging 19.0 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field. 

As a senior, Higgins helped her team compile an impressive 32-3 record and advance to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship game. She scored six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the title game but her team narrowly fell to Bentley.

A native of San Angelo, Texas, Higgins graduated from West Texas A&M in May of 2014 with a degree in corporate communication. She also spent eight months in a seminary program called the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri.

MATT WISE  |  ASSISTANT COACH

Matt Wise begins first season as an assistant women's basketball coach at Samford. Wise is involved in all aspects of the women's basketball team. 

Wise spent the 2021-22 season as the director of video and creative content for the women's basketball program at Alabama. Prior to his time in Tuscaloosa, Wise spent time in the Southern Conference, serving as a men's basketball assistant coach at ETSU (2020-21). There, he helped guide the Bucs to a winning record, including an 8-7 mark in the Southern Conference, before reaching the semifinal game of the SoCon Tournament.
 
Before that, Wise served as a men's basketball assistant coach at the University of Wyoming (2019-20), his second stint at the school.
 
Prior to his second stop at Wyoming, he spent the 2018-19 season as the men's basketball assistant coach at Little Rock. In his one season there, Wise played an integral role in coaching guard Rayjon Tucker to All-Sun Belt Conference honors after averaging 20.3 points per game, which ranked fourth in the league. Tucker became just the fifth player in program history to eclipse the 600-point threshold with 610 points, while he also ranked fourth in points per game.
 
In Wise's first stop at Wyoming, he served as the men's basketball assistant director of player development (2013-18). During that time, he saw the Cowboys make three postseason appearances, which included a Mountain West Conference Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament berth in 2014-15, following a 25-win campaign. The 25 wins were the most by a Wyoming team since winning 26 in 1988, while it marked the Cowboys' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Following that season, Larry Nance Jr. – the 2015 MWC Player of the Year – was selected 27th overall in NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Under Wise's watch, Wyoming won 20 straight non-conference home games between 2015-17, resulting in the second-longest win streak in program history.
 
Before his first stop at Wyoming, Wise spent two seasons as a men's basketball graduate assistant at the University of Florida where the Gators made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Wise's responsibilities with the Gators included conducting advanced statistical research, assisting with on-court workouts, helping with video editing, promoting and marketing summer camps and assisting the director of operations with daily tasks for the program.
 
Wise was a four-year letterwinner at Transylvania University (2007-11), where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration. There, he guided the Pioneers to an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament after winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. In 2013, he graduated with a master's degree in sport management from Florida. 
 
He and his wife Katie have two children, Addy and Jack. Matt is the son of Mark Wise, a college basketball broadcaster, and Mary Wise, head volleyball coach at the University of Florida.

CHARITY BROWN |  ASSISTANT COACH

Charity Brown enters her first season as an assistant coach on the Samford women's basketball staff.
 
"I could not be more excited about Charity returning to Samford as an assistant coach. She had an exceptional career as a player that will no doubt translate to her success as a coach," Samford head coach Carley Kuhns said. "Her ability to connect with people from all different backgrounds will be a huge asset to our program. She exemplifies everything Samford Women's Basketball stands for and will be a phenomenal leader and role model for our players."
 
Brown returns to Samford after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Point University in Georgia. In her final season with the Skyhawks, Brown helped shepherd Point to a 23-9 record and the program's first Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship.
 
"I am very excited to be back at Samford and to work for a great University and Women's Basketball Program," Brown said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work under a great coach but an even better person, like Coach Carley, and to work alongside Coach Matt and Coach Higgs! I'm ready to get going!"
 
A former All-Southern Conference selection, Brown played in 115 games and started 97 for Samford from 2016-20. She averaged 6.6 points with 4.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds during her Bulldog career. 
 
Brown's name is littered through the Samford record books as the former guard holds the program's record for most assists in a career with 511, while also ranking top 10 in rebounds with 501 and games started. 
 
During her senior season, Brown was named third team All-SoCon after leading the league with 5.8 assists per game while helping Samford to SoCon regular season and tournament titles in 2020.