Ball State University Athletics
Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- absallee@bsu.edu
- Phone:
- 765-285-8225
Record at Ball State: 290-162 (.641) 14 Seasons
Record at Eastern Illinois: 136-110 (.553) Eight Seasons
Career Record: 427-272 (.610) 23 Seasons
Sallee arrived at Ball State in May of 2012. In 14 seasons, he has guided the Cardinals to the 2025 and 2026 Mid-American Conference regular season titles, the 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship and a first round appearance at the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Sallee also steered the Cardinals to the NCAA's first-ever postseason Women's Basketball lnvitation Tournament (WBIT), nine postseason Women's National Invitation Tournaments (WNIT), a WNIT Final 16 appearance, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division title (2014), 13 MAC Tournament appearances in Cleveland, Ohio, and nine 20-plus win seasons —a feat no head coach at Ball State had done before him.
The progam's winningest coach with 264 overall victories, Sallee has etched his name into the Ball State women's basketball record books a multitude of times over his tenure.
Record Breaking Seasons:
The 2024-25 season was one to remember, the Cardinals ended another historic season under 13th-year Sallee which was led by MAC Player of the Year and Tournament MVP Ally Becki, the Cardinals captured their second MAC tournament championship in program history and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Brady Sallee also earned his 400th career victory after defeating Toledo by a score of 65-58 in the MAC Tournament title game. Sallee helped the Cardinals earn the MAC regular season championship along with posting his eighth 20+ win season.
In 2023-24, the Cardinals had one of their most historic seasons yet as Ball State finished with a program-record 28 overall victories and 16 MAC wins. Ball State won 14 games in-a-row from Dec. 10 until Feb. 7 which was another program record for the Cardinals.
The 2022-23 season was also a success as the Cardinals finished the season with a 26-9 record and a 14-4 Mid-American Conference ledger. The Cardinals' 26 wins tied the program record for most wins in a season. Ball State advanced to the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament and the second round of the postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the first time since 2018. The 20-win season also marked the sixth time in the last eight years Sallee reached the 20-win plateau.
In 2017-18, Sallee etched himself even further into the program record books. He became the all-time winningest Ball State women’s basketball coach March 3, 2018 with an 88-63 victory at Eastern Michigan. He guided Ball State to an 11-0 non-conference start in 2017, which marked the best start in program history and the second-longest winning streak in school annals. He also became the only coach to guide the Ball State women’s basketball team to six straight postseason tournaments.
Career Success
Sallee has led Ball State to wins over seven Power 5 schools -- Texas A&M, Georgia, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota. He has coached 40 all-conference selections and 15 players who have gone on to play professionally. He has mentored three league freshman of the year winners, four defensive players of the year, three sixth players of the year, two MAC Player of the Year and one Associated Press All-America selection.
Sallee has coached some of the program's most prestigious players, including Ball State's all-time leading scorer Nathalie Fontaine, all-time rebounder Oshlynn Brown, all-time assists leader Ally Becki and all-time 3-point shooter Thelma Dis Agustsdottir. Over the years, 16 of Sallee's players have scored 1,000 points or more under his tutelage.
Personal
Brady Sallee and his wife Mandy have three children -- Avery, Taryn and Drew.
Coaching Career & Milestone Achievements
- Winningest Coach in Program History with 290 victories
- 400th Career Victory: He reached the 400-win milestone for his career on March 15, 2025, after defeating Toledo 65–58 to secure the MAC Tournament title.
- Program Record Wins: Led the Cardinals to a school-record 28 wins during the 2023–24 season.
- MAC Coach of the Year: Honored as the 2025 MAC Coach of the Year after leading the team to a regular-season title and a tournament championship.
- MAC Champions (2024–25): Guided the Cardinals to the 2025 MAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, marking the program's second-ever tournament title and its first since 2009.
- MAC Regular Season Championship (2025-26): First time in program history the Cardinals earned back-to-back MAC Regular Season titles
- NCAA Tournament Appearance: Led Ball State back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 for the first time in 16 years, entering as a 12-seed against Ole Miss.
- Postseason Consistency: Has steered Ball State to 11 total postseason appearances, including nine WNIT trips, a WNIT Final 16 appearnace and a selection for the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) in 2024.
- 20-Win Standard: Under his leadership, the Cardinals have achieved nine 20-win seasons, including a streak of four consecutive 20-plus win campaigns as of 2026.
- Ranks 45th amongst active DI women’s basketball coaches for most career wins with 426
- Power 4 Upsets: — Minnesota (54-51, 2012-13), Iowa (77-72, 2015-16), Vanderbilt (88-79, 2017-18), Purdue (66-60, 2017-18), Pitt (68-66, 2022-23), Pitt (73-62, 2023-24), Georgia (52-51, 2023-24), Texas A&M (75-62), Cincinnati (83-63) and Pitt (55-41).
- Turnaround Expert: Orchestrated a 13-game turnaround in the 2019–20 season, one of the largest single-season improvements in NCAA Division I history.
- Led the Cardinals to an undefeated 11-0 non-conference record during the 2017-18 season
- Record Holders: Coached the program's all-time leading scorer (Nathalie Fontaine), all-time rebounder (Oshlynn Brown), all-time assists leader (Ally Becki), and all-time 3-point shooter (Thelma Dis Agustsdottir).
- Individual Accolades: His players have earned two MAC Player of the Year awards, four Defensive Player of the Year honors, and one Associated Press All-America selection.
- Under Brady Sallee’s leadership Thelma Dis Agustsdottir was selected to the 34th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships roster in Houston on March 30, 2023. A standout shooter, she competed in the Celsius Women's 3-Point Championship during the 2023 NCAA Tournament becoming the first-ever Cardinal to accomplish that goal.
- Has coached 15 players to reach the 1,000 career point plateau.
- Professional Success: At least 15 of his players have gone on to play professional basketball.
