Having served the previous two years as Bradley Basketball Director of Operations, Cole Pittis will take over as an assistant coach on the Braves staff, according to an announcement today by fourth-year Bradley head coach Geno Ford.

Pittis’ connection to Ford goes back to his playing days at Muskingum University and he boasts seven years of coaching staff experience. Pittis fills the spot on the Bradley staff vacated when Greg Graham returned west to join the new Washington State staff and he will work directly with Bradley’s post players.

"Cole is a special person who will do a great job in his new position," said Ford. "I have had the pleasure of coaching him and working with him for four years and he is well-prepared for this next step. He has a great understanding of post play and is a great communicator."

Pittis was a three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference center at Muskingum, where he scored 1008 points to rank 27th on the school’s all-time scoring list. He was All-OAC honorable mention in 2004 and 2005, then earned first-team all-conference honors in 2006 under Ford’s coaching direction.

Pittis began his coaching career in 2006 as an assistant to Ford at Muskingum, where his responsibilities included recruiting, scouting and on-court coaching duties. He joined the Mount Union staff for the 2007-08 season, when he assisted in all day-to-day basketball operations and served as the Head Reserve Coach with the responsibility of developing the program’s underclass players.

Pittis joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 2008, serving a 3-year stint on the Akron staff and helping the Zips to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2009 and 2011), as well as an appearance in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational. He served as a graduate assistant from 2008-10 while earning his master’s degree in education (sports science and coaching) from Akron in 2009, then as the video coordinator and assistant director of operations during the 2010-11 campaign.

Prior to joining the Bradley staff as Director of Operations in 2012, Pittis returned to Mount Union for the 2011-12 campaign as an assistant coach.

A native of Uhrichsville, Ohio, where he starred at Claymont High School, Pittis earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from Muskingum in 2007.

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