Amy Malo is in her ninth season as an assistant coach for Belmont women’s basketball.
A staple on the Bruins’ staff since August of 2016, Malo has been a trusty advisor to head coach Bart Brooks since he took over the program in April of 2017.
A crucial member of Belmont’s staff during the Bruins’ most successful time, Malo has helped the program reach unprecedented heights. Belmont has won an Ohio Valley Conference championship in each of Malo’s six seasons with the Bruins capturing 10 combined league championships, including five regular season and five tournament titles.
With Malo’s assistance, Belmont is one of just 12 programs in the nation and one of only three non-power conference teams to win 20 or more games for seven-straight seasons. Additionally, the Bruins have either been ranked or received votes in at least one of the two major national polls for seven consecutive years. Furthermore, Belmont has earned a national postseason bid nine of the last 10 seasons and appeared in the last six NCAA Tournaments.
Belmont has put together one of the most remarkable stretches of conference play in college basketball history with Malo’s aid. Over her first six seasons on staff, the Bruins have gone an astounding 96-9 (.914) in league play while compiling an 111-10 (.917) record against conference opponents. Belmont has also been dominant on its own hardwood, going an exceptional 68-9 (.883) inside the Curb Event Center.
In Malo’s first three seasons, the Bruins posted back-to-back undefeated OVC campaigns, reached a program-record 47-straight wins against league opponents, claimed six combined conference championships and earned three trips to the NCAA Tournament. In her last two seasons, Belmont has collected back-to-back NCAA Tournament First Round victories after winning consecutive OVC Championship titles.
Under Malo’s tutelage a total of 10 Bruins have garnered all-conference accolades, including eight earning first-team honors, and she has mentored an OVC Player and Freshman of the Year and two OVC Defensive Players of the Year. Working primarily with Belmont’s post players, Malo has developed some of the program’s most heralded players in Sally McCabe (2014-18), Ellie Harmeyer (2015-20) and Madison Bartley (2020-present).
With academics key to the program, Malo has helped the Bruins achieve a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Honor Roll four times, including Belmont checking in at No. 8 in the nation for the team’s second-highest ranking ever following the 2021-22 season. Additionally, three student-athletes have earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America status and been named Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year during Malo’s tenure, including two-time DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Conley Chinn.
In 2021-22, the Bruins (23-8, 16-2 OVC) made their second consecutive Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament after Belmont upset fifth-seeded Oregon 73-70 in a double-overtime First Round thriller. Belmont became only the second program in history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons as a No. 12 seed or lower. Within an eyelash of the program’s first Sweet 16, the Bruins rallied from a 14-point third-quarter deficit and led fourth-seeded and 18th-ranked Tennessee with under 30 seconds remaining. Belmont ended the year ranked 45th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings.
A trio of Bruins claimed All-OVC First Team recognition and sophomore guard Tuti Jones was named OVC Defensive Player of the Year before becoming a breakout star of March Madness averaging 19.5 points and six rebounds in the NCAA Tournament. Fellow sophomore guard Destinee Wells was chosen as Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Player of the Year after garnering All-American honorable mention honors from World Exposure Report. She became only the second player in OVC history to be named OVC Tournament MVP as both a freshman and sophomore before averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 assists and five rebounds against Oregon and Tennessee in the Big Dance. Forward Bartley had an outstanding sophomore year, leading the OVC in blocks (1.7 BPG) and the team in rebounding (5.1 RPG) while scoring in double figures in 17 of 31 games.
During a unique 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Belmont had one of the most successful years in school history, which was notably capped off with the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win. The 12th-seeded Bruins (21-6, 14-3 OVC) knocked off the fifth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on March 22, 2021, 64-59 to advance to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its historic win, Belmont became the first OVC team to win a NCAA Tournament game since 1990.
Additionally, the Bruins notched their fifth OVC Tournament title in six years after defeating top-seeded UT Martin in the championship game. Belmont became just the third team in OVC history to win five conference tournament titles in a six-year span. Then a true freshman, Wells scored a championship game record 32 points in the Bruins’ win over the Skyhawks, becoming the first freshman to earn OVC Tournament MVP honors since 2011. Wells finished with nine 20-point games in her inaugural season, good for the most in program history since current WNBA product Alysha Clark (2005-06). She also raked in OVC Freshman of the Year, All-OVC First Team and OVC All-Newcomer accolades.
Senior forward Harmeyer joined a long list of all-time greats mentored by Malo following the 2019-20 season as she finished the only player in the nation (male or female) to average over 19 points and 12 rebounds per game. Leading the country in five different statistical categories, Harmeyer became one of only two players in program history to eclipse 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Off the court, Harmeyer was a CoSIDA Academic All-America selection and was tabbed DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Belmont went 22-9 on the year and ended the regular season on an eight-game win streak en route to its fourth-straight OVC championship, going 16-2 in league play.
Belmont compiled a 26-7 record in 2018-19 and won its third consecutive OVC regular season championship after going 16-2 in conference play. Winning their fourth-straight OVC Tournament title with a gritty win over UT Martin, the Bruins reached their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament. It marked the fourth consecutive season Belmont reached at least 24 wins.
Senior guards Darby Maggard and Jenny Roy completed their careers as two of the most accomplished players in program history. The winningest players in school history, the tandem accounted for 108 victories with Maggard finishing as the Bruins’ fourth all-time leading scorer (2,031 points) and Roy rounding out her career as the fifth player coached by Brooks to join the coveted 1,000-point club. Belmont’s NCAA-era leading scorer and record holder for made three-point field goals (430), three-point field goal percentage (43.1), and free-throw percentage (92.4), Maggard was voted as OVC Player of the Year, TSWA Player of the Year and OVC Female Athlete of the Year.
The Bruins went 31-4 in 2017-18 for the most wins in a season in Belmont’s NCAA era and picked up non-conference victories over Vanderbilt, Gonzaga and Florida Gulf Coast, before completing their second-straight undefeated OVC season. Going a perfect 18-0 in league play, the Bruins secured a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by extending their win streak against conference opponents to 46. Via the heroics of Maggard in the OVC Tournament title game, a thrilling overtime win over UT Martin, Belmont earned its first No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Reaching a program-best Associated Press (AP) Top 25 ranking of No. 22 in week 17 of the season, the Bruins were ranked 25th in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. Belmont received votes in each of the last six coaches polls of the season and appeared in the AP Top 25 five times. Ranked among the top 50 nationally in 21 statistical categories, including third in made three-pointers and seventh in scoring margin, the Bruins led the OVC in 13 statistical categories.
Senior forward McCabe, now Belmont women’s basketball’s director of operations, capped her decorated Bruin career as a two-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year and both the program and OVC’s all-time blocks leader (291). A three-time TSWA Player of the Week and three-time All-OVC First Team member, McCabe earned the OVC Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award. Like McCabe, senior guard/forward Smith finished her career with over 1,500 points and was tabbed TSWA Player of the Year. A true student-athlete, Smith garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and was selected as DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
During Malo’s first season with the Bruins in 2016-17, Belmont went an unblemished 16-0 in OVC play and punched its second-straight ticket to March Madness. Finishing 27-6 on the year, the Bruins received votes in four consecutive AP polls and headed into the NCAA Tournament with 29 votes in the national poll – a then school record for any sport in Belmont’s Division I era. Maggard, Smith and McCabe, who was chosen as OVC Defensive Player of the Year, were all named All-OVC First Team.
Malo played collegiately at nearby Vanderbilt University from 2005-09, where she played alongside fellow Belmont assistant coach Jessica (Mooney) Holman (2006-10). During her time as a Commodore, the 6-foot-3 forward was a part of two Southeastern Conference Tournament titles, back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 and four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Earning her Bachelor of Science degree in human and organizational development with an emphasis in leadership and organizational effectiveness in 2009, Malo attained her Master of Education (M.Ed.) in human resource development from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College in 2011.
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Malo worked in the corporate leadership development field. In addition, she spent six years as the head coach of a local basketball club team that produced several Division I student-athletes. During the 2015-16 high school basketball season, Malo was an assistant coach at Brentwood Academy in nearby Brentwood, Tennessee. Malo helped the program earn its third-straight TSSAA (Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association) Division II Class AA state championship while also spending time as a junior varsity coach.
While at Brentwood Academy, Malo coached current Bruin guards Blair Schoenwald (2020-present) and Sydni Harvey (2022-present).
Malo resides in Nashville.
