Brett Vana enters his first season as assistant coach on the women's basketball staff at North Carolina Central.
Vana is a championship coach who arrives at NCCU from Millersville, where he was an assistant coach since 2023. His relationship with Gaines goes all the way back to his coaching days at Louisburg (N.C.). He brings a defensive mindset and energy along with the ability to develop players to NCCU.
"Coach Brett Vana played a huge role in my development as a player at Louisburg College," Gaines said. "Winning a national championship under his leadership showed me firsthand what a true winner looks like. He brings a wealth of experience. I learned from one of the best coaches in the game."
As head coach, Vana led Louisburg to the national junior college crown in the 2012-13 season. His star player was Gaines, who was the junior college national player of the year before competing at South Carolina under Head Coach Dawn Staley.
Louisburg won two region titles and reached two consecutive Final Fours in addition to capturing the national title under Vana, who was named junior college national head coach of the year. During his two seasons at Louisburg, his teams posted a 63-5 mark.
His success at Louisburg started a 20-plus year collegiate coaching career including stops at Knox, Millersville and Division I programs Western Kentucky, Weber State and Chicago State as an assistant. He also coached internationally in Switzerland, Denmark and Germany.
Millersville made the postseason in each of Vana’s three seasons despite playing in one of the nation’s toughest Division II conferences (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Under his guidance and recruiting, Millersville had success in the classroom and on the floor with numerous academic and athletic achievements (All-Academic & Athletic Honors).
Vana helped direct Knox to a school-record 22 wins, a conference title and an NCAA Division III Tournament berth behind the league’s top-ranked defense as an assistant coach under Coach Kira Mowen. Bolstered by a defense that allowed just 57.6 points per game, Knox recorded a 15-1 record in conference play.
His coaching career started successfully in 1997 as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Providence Day (N.C.) High School. The team won the state title in his only season at Providence Day.
Vana later became the graduate assistant coach at Division I Western Kentucky University in 1998 and then spent the over a decade overseas as an international coach and general manager of Europe's top men's and women's teams.
In addition to collegiate coaching, Vana was a trainer and talent evaluator at the Champions Academy in Indianapolis, Ind., and an athletic director at Independence (Kan.) Community College.
As a collegian, Vana was a standout basketball player at Lake Erie from 1991 to 1995. A four-year starter, Vana was the record holder in five major statistical categories during his career - points scored, field goals made, free throws made, steals and assists. His highlights include being selected Male Athlete of the Year at Lake Erie and landing on the NAIA All-Region squad.
Vana graduated with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1995. Only five years later, he was inducted into his school's Athletic Hall of Fame for his achievements.
