June 18, 2011

Adam Deyo completes Golden Eagle women's basketball coaching staff

A member of the women’s basketball coaching staff at Liberty University for the past eight seasons, Adam Deyo has been named assistant coach at Tennessee Tech University.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- A member of the women’s basketball coaching staff at Liberty University for the past eight seasons, Adam Deyo has been named assistant coach at Tennessee Tech University. Deyo, 33, completes head coach Sytia Messer’s coaching staff for the 2011-12 season.

“This is a great opportunity for me to be involved with coach Messer’s program,” Deyo said. “There are not many coaches in the country who are as gifted as she is, both on and off the court. Not only is she a tremendous coach, she’s a tremendous person. It’s a real blessing for me, especially with me being married and having three young boys, to work in the type of environment that she has created at Tennessee Tech. She has family values, which is high on my priority list.”

A native of Cincinnati, Deyo attended Auburn University for three years, then graduated from Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., in 2002. At Gordon, he was a member of the Fighting Scots basketball squad and earned his bachelor's degree in Biblical and Theological Studies in 2002.

“My family is really looking forward to coming to Tennessee,” Deyo said. “The area is beautiful, the people are wonderful, and it will be a joy working with coach Messer and her staff. She has done an exceptional job resurrecting the winning tradition and the school clearly cares about women’s basketball. It’s a chance to be part of a championship program.”

For the past eight seasons, Deyo has been a member of a successful coaching staff at Liberty, helping the Lady Flames to six conference championships and six appearances in the NCAA tournament, including a Sweet 16 showing in 2005.

He filled the roles of director of basketball operations and assistant coach at Liberty, and was responsible for the daily operations of the program, including the logistics of practice and game-day management, film coordinator, team travel arrangements and scheduling of games.

During the 2010-11 season, he worked primarily with the posts as Liberty earned another conference title. He also prepared game scouts and did post-game film breakdown. In addition to his on-floor coaching, Deyo has extensive experience evaluating and recruiting top-level talent, as well as working with individual development.

“We’re truly excited to bring Adam to our staff,” Messer said. “He has had success in his previous position, and we’re looking forward to working with him. I think he’s going to be a great addition to our staff, and will be a positive influence on our players.

“He brings tremendous energy,” she added. “He’s a husband, a father and a coach. He wears many different hats, and his values show in everything he does.”

As a senior with the Scots, he received the team’s Leadership Award. While in college, Deyo was also actively involved in Athletes in Action (AIA), working summer basketball camps and touring internationally with their basketball team. After college, he gained considerable playing experience with AIA against professional, national and amateur teams in six different countries. He toured with Athletes in Action on multiple occasions, both as a player and coach.

He also served as an intern with AIA in Colorado, where he met his future wife, Kelley, who served as an assistant coach for the Lady Flames for four seasons. The two were married in 2002. After their marriage, the Deyo's moved to Austria, where Kelley played professional basketball while Adam was on staff with AIA.

Adam and Kelley have three sons -- James (5), Judah (4) and Joseph (1).