ALYSSA TARPLEY
SENIOR | GUARD
SIERRA GODBOLT
SENIOR |GUARD
EMILY SNODDY
SENIOR |CENTER
Women’s Basketball 2025-2026 Schedule
Nov. 3 Montevallo 11 a.m.
Nov. 8 at Nebraska TBD
Nov. 13 at Florida TBD
Nov. 15 at Florida A&M TBD
Nov. 19 at Alabama TBD
Nov. 21 Stillman 6 p.m.
Nov. 24 vs. Central Arkansas (at Georgia State MTE) TBD
Nov. 25 at Georgia State (at Georgia State MTE) TBD
Nov. 26 vs. Stony Brook (at Georgia State MTE) TBD
Dec. 1 at Minnesota TBD
Dec. 4 at Tennessee Tech TBD
Dec. 7 North Alabama 3 p.m.
Dec. 14 at USC Upstate TBD
Dec. 18 Lipscomb 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 22 at UAB TBD
Dec. 28 at Mississippi State TBD
Jan. 2 Fisk 2 p.m.
Jan. 8 at UNC Greensboro* TBD
Jan. 10 at Western Carolina* TBD
Jan. 17 at Mercer* TBD
Jan. 22 Wofford* 6 p.m.
Jan. 24 Furman* 2 p.m.
Jan. 29 at ETSU*
Jan. 31 at Chattanooga*
Feb. 5 Western Carolina* 4 p.m.
Feb. 7 UNC Greensboro* 2 p.m.
Feb. 14 Mercer* 2 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Furman* TBD
Feb. 21 at Wofford* TBD
Feb. 26 Chattanooga* 4 p.m.
Feb. 28 ETSU* 2 p.m.
Mar. 5-8 SoCon Tournament (Asheville, N.C.) TBD
*-Southern Conference Game
#-Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
%-In Little Rock, Ark. !-Asheville, N.C.
CAMPUS
Our all-suite hotel features separate sleeping and living areas with fully equipped kitchens.
• Complimentary hot buffet breakfast
• Onsite laundry facility
• 24-hr Fitness center
Our generously sized guest rooms offer plenty of room to work, relax and get comfortable.
• The Commons, for breakfast, dinner, and drinks
• 24-hr fitness center
• Indoor pool
Sonesta ES Suites Birmingham Homewood
Sonesta Select Birmingham Colonnade
Beck A. Taylor President
Beck A. Taylor began his tenure as the 19th president of Samford University in July 2021. Taylor, who served as dean and professor of economics for Samford’s Brock School of Business from 2005-2010, returned to Samford after serving as the 18th president of Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, from 2010-2021.
After earning his undergraduate degree from Baylor with majors in economics and finance, Taylor was employed as an analyst for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Houston, Texas. He went on to earn his MS and PhD in economics from Purdue University. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Baylor as associate dean for research and faculty development for the Hankamer School of Business, and was named the first holder of the W.H. Smith Professorship in Economics. In 2002, he was appointed as a visiting scholar by Harvard University where he spent one year in residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
As dean of Samford’s Brock School of Business, Taylor led the rapid transformation of the business school, including its renaming to honor Harry B. Brock Jr., founder of Compass Bank. Taylor led the Brock School of Business to establish eight new academic programs, as well as the school’s new honors program. The school’s entrepreneurship program was recognized in 2010
as the nation’s top emerging program by the U.S. Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship. In an effort to build bridges between students and the Birmingham business community, Taylor established the Samford Business Network, as well as a 45-member advisory board of the region’s top business leaders.
As a scholar, Taylor has published dozens of studies in economics journals such as Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Human Resources and Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking. Illustrating his diverse research interests and his connections to the social sciences, Taylor has also published groundbreaking research in public health and child developmental psychology. His research has been cited in testimony given before the U.S. Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, and the California State Assembly, and also has been referenced in publications such as TheNewYorkTimes,The BostonGlobe,andTheChristianScienceMonitor.
Taylor is a member of numerous professional and academic organizations, and he has served as a strategic business consultant for dozens of organizations. He and his wife, Julie, have three children.
Martin Newton, Director of Athletics
Samford University alumnus and director of athletics
Martin Newton has transformed the Bulldogs into one of the Southern Conference’s most successful programs since taking the helm of the department on March 9, 2011.
Two years ago, Newton signed a five-year contract extension that began on July 1, 2022.
Newton has made an impact nationally in his time at Samford as he is in the middle of a five-year appointment to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. In 2026-27, he will serve as the committees chair. Additionally, he currently serves on the NCAA Division I Council and the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. He was also recently appointed to the NCAA Council Coordination Committee (CCC).
On the fields and courts, the Bulldogs have captured 82 Southern Conference regular season and tournament championships during his tenure, including a school record 11 championships in 2022-23.
Additionally, Samford has won the last five Southern Conference’s Germann Cups (top women’s athletics program) and Graduation Rate awards. Samford has also won two of the last three Commissioner’s Cups, which goes to the top men’s athletic program in the SoCon.
Academically, the school’s student-athletes have also posted outstanding results in the classroom, with 2,735 Bulldogs being named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll. Samford’s student-athletes posted an impressive 98 percent in the most recent NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) report, the highest mark in the SoCon and in the state of Alabama.
Over the last 14 years, the Athletics Department has seen significant growth in corporate partnerships and annual giving, more than doubling philanthropic gifts and sponsorship revenues.
Facility enhancements have also been a hallmark of Newton’s tenure with the Bulldogs. Samford has opened a new soccer and track stadium as well as a new softball stadium, indoor hitting facility for the
baseball and softball programs and an indoor practice facility for men’s and women’s golf. A new academic center was recently built in Bashinsky Field House. Additionally, state-of-the-art video boards have been added to the Pete Hanna Center (men’s and women’s basketball/volleyball), Pete Hanna Stadium (football), Joe Lee Griffin Field (baseball) and in Shauna Yelton Field at the Cameron Bean Track (soccer/track and field).
The football video board was a part of Phase I of the Seibert Stadium project, which was completed in August 2019 and was 100 percent donor funded. Phase II, which was completed prior to the 2021 season, included a complete renovation of the Bashinsky Press Tower, new premium seating on the west side of the stadium and renovations to the east side Gate House.
In the spring of 2017, a goal of Newton’s was realized when the inaugural class of the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame was inducted.
He has also negotiated an exclusive universitywide footwear and apparel deal with Nike, helped lead the way on a university-wide licensing agreement with the Licensing Resource Group and successfully transformed the antiquated radio network into an industry leader in campus-led broadcast production with all Samford home athletic events airing on ESPN3 or ESPN+.
Newton started the Samford Strong Leadership Academy in 2014. The academy is a program jointly developed between the Athletics Department and the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership. Its mission is to bring successful athletes to campus to share their personal stories and the importance of faith and character to success in all areas of life for Samford’s student-athletes.
Following his 1983 graduation from Samford, he worked in sports marketing for Converse for 13 years. Newton then spent 13 years in a similar capacity at Nike. Prior to his return to Samford, Newton was hired at the University of Kentucky in 2009, where he managed the budget, fund-raising, compliance, scheduling, marketing and academic support for the men’s basketball program.
Newton and his wife, Cindy, have three grown children, Katie, Madison and Charles. They also have two grandsons, Charlie and Sawyer.
Matt Wise enters his first season as Samford’s head women’s basketball coach.
MATT WISE
Head Coach
Wise spent the last three seasons on the staff for the Bulldog women’s basketball program. He played a pivotal role on the staff of former head coach Carley Kuhns, being heavily involved in every area of the program.
The 2024-25 season had several Samford players have standout seasons. Among them was junior Emily Bowman, who was named to the Southern Conference’s All-Defensive team. The 2024-25 Samford team led the Southern Conference in three-point percentage and ranked third in the league in points per game.
Wise spent the 2021-22 season as the director of video and creative content for the women’s basketball program at Alabama.
Prior to his time in Tuscaloosa, Wise spent time in the Southern Conference, serving as a men’s basketball assistant coach at ETSU (2020-21). There, he helped guide the Bucs to a winning record, including an 8-7 mark in the Southern Conference, before reaching the semifinal game of the SoCon Tournament.
Before that, Wise served as a men’s basketball assistant coach at the University of Wyoming (201920), his second stint at the school.
Prior to his second stop at Wyoming, he spent the 2018-19 season as the men’s basketball assistant coach at Little Rock. In his one season there, Wise played an integral role in coaching guard Rayjon Tucker to All-Sun Belt Conference honors after averaging 20.3 points per game, which ranked fourth in the league. Tucker became just the fifth player in program history to eclipse the 600-point threshold with 610 points, while he also ranked fourth in points per game.
In Wise’s first stop at Wyoming, he served as the men’s basketball assistant director of player development (2013-18). During that time, he saw the Cowboys make three postseason appearances, which included a Mountain West Conference Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament berth in 2014-15, following a 25-win campaign. The 25 wins were the most by a Wyoming team since winning 26 in 1988, while it marked the Cowboys’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Following that season, Larry Nance Jr. – the 2015 MWC Player of the Year – was selected 27th overall in NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Under Wise’s watch, Wyoming won 20 straight non-conference home games between 2015-17, resulting in the second-longest win streak in program history.
Before his first stop at Wyoming, Wise spent two seasons as a men’s basketball graduate assistant at the University of Florida where the Gators made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Wise’s responsibilities with the Gators included conducting advanced statistical research, assisting with on-court workouts, helping with video editing, promoting and marketing summer camps and assisting the director of operations with daily tasks for the program.
Wise was a four-year letterwinner at Transylvania University (2007-11), where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. There, he guided the Pioneers to an appearance in the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament after winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. In 2013, he graduated with a master’s degree in sport management from Florida.
He and his wife Katie have two children, Addy and Jack. Matt is the son of Mark Wise, a college basketball broadcaster, and Mary Wise, former head volleyball coach at the University of Florida.
Hannah Barber
ASSISTANT COACH
Hannah Barber enters her first season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Samford.
Barber comes to Samford after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Valdosta State. While at VSU, she was responsible for coordinating the offense as well as official and unofficial visits, content creation and daily recruiting efforts. She also developed and implemented opponent scouting reports and game plans.
Prior to her time at Valdosta State, Barber was a graduate assistant at Indiana from 2023 to 2024. She assisted in the development of three All-Big 10 selections, managed a team of male practice players and aided in on-campus recruitment, summer camps and day-to-day program operations.
Barber earned her bachelor’s degree from Alabama in 2022 and her master’s from Alabama in 2023. She was a member of the Crimson Tide women’s basketball team, leading the program to three postseason tournament bids, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named the 2023 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and a CSC Academic All-American, while also leading the SEC in three-point percentage.
Charity Brown
ASSISTANT COACH
Brown returned to Samford after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Point University in Georgia. In her final season with the Skyhawks, Brown helped shepherd Point to a 23-9 record and the program’s first Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship.
“I am very excited to be back at Samford and to work for a great University and Women’s Basketball Program,” Brown said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work under a great coach but an even better person, like Coach Carley, and to work alongside Coach Matt and Coach Higgs! I’m ready to get going!”
A former All-Southern Conference selection, Brown played in 115 games and started 97 for Samford from 2016-20. She averaged 6.6 points with 4.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds during her Bulldog career.
Brown’s name is littered through the Samford record books as the former guard holds the program’s record for most assists in a career with 511, while also ranking top 10 in rebounds with 501 and games started.
During her senior season, Brown was named third team All-SoCon after leading the league with 5.8 assists per game while helping Samford to SoCon regular season and tournament titles in 2020.
Charity Brown enters her third season as an assistant coach on the Samford women’s basketball staff.
400 Commons Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209 Homewood (205) 769-9777
320 Commons Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209 Homewood (205) 848-7911
Sally Higgins
ASSISTANT COACH
Sally Higgins begins her 10th season as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Samford. Higgins is involved in all aspects of the women’s basketball program.
Throughout her time at Samford, Higgins has been involved in recruiting, on-court coaching, travel planning and working with the strength and conditioning staff on the team’s strength and conditioning program.
Higgins was instrumental in the turnaround the program experienced during the 2019-20 season. After winning just 10 games the previous season, the Bulldogs posted a record of 18-14, and won the program’s first Southern Conference regular-season title with a 10-4 league record. The team then won the program’s third SoCon Tournament title.
In her second season as an assistant for coach Kuhns, Samford Women’s Basketball was just as memorable as her first, as the Bulldogs marched to an 11-2 record in Southern Conference play and their second-straight regular season league championship which led to a trip to the WNIT in Memphis. While the Bulldogs finished the year 14-11 overall, Samford played one of its most difficult schedules in program history in the midst of a global pandemic. On the road to the league title, Andrea Bailey was named SoCon Player of the Year and a unanimous All-SoCon first team selection while Natalie Armstrong was named All-SoCon as well.
Higgins came to Samford after serving as the director of basketball operations at Stephen F. Austin from the summer of 2015 until her hiring at Samford. At Stephen F. Austin, she was involved with nearly all facets of the women’s basketball program, including team travel, scheduling, on-campus recruiting visits and equipment management, as well as assisting with the day-to-day functions of the office.
Higgins played basketball at West Texas A&M from 2010-14, appearing in 109 games in her four-year career. She made 35 appearances during her senior season in 2013-14, averaging 19.0 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
As a senior, Higgins helped her team compile an impressive 32-3 record and advance to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship game. She scored six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the title game but her team narrowly fell to Bentley.
A native of San Angelo, Texas, Higgins graduated from West Texas A&M in May of 2014 with a degree in corporate communication. She also spent eight months in a seminary program called the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri.
Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Alabaster & Greystone @ 280
Walker Martin
ASSISTANT COACH
Walker Martin enters his first season as a full-time assistant coach and his third overall season on the Samford women’s basketball staff.
Martin has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant on the Samford coaching staff. During his time as a GA, Martin worked on analytics and data sets to assist players and coaches with training to maximize performance. He also handled travel and meal logistics, and he helped the coaching staff identify potential recruits for the program.
Prior to his time at Samford, Martin was a manager for the women’s basketball program at Michigan State from 2021 to 2023. He managed game and practice operations, while also assisting with video analytics and player development. Previously he served as an assistant coach at Chippewa Middle School in Michigan and he was the head of athletics at Camp Pinnacle in North Carolina.
Martin earned his bachelor of arts degree from Michigan State in 2023. He also recently finished his master’s degree from Samford this May.
“One of the best attributes in college athletics is the ability to be willing,” Samford head coach Matt Wise said. “I have not worked with many people in coaching more willing than Walker Martin. Walker’s work ethic, loyalty and enthusiasm to go above and beyond have already made him a major asset to our program. In recruiting. They say, ‘sometimes the best gets are the ones you keep’ –getting to keep Walker is definitely one of the best this staff could get.”
Support Staff
Diego Medellin Graduate Assistant
Lauren Talton Athletic Trainer
Jada Knight Gr. Guard
Avary Brewer Fr. Guard
Kaylee Yarbrough Fr. Guard
Briana Rivera So. Guard
Martha Bishop Jr. Forward
Emily Snoddy R-Sr. Center
Carla Baguda Fr. Forward
Alyssa Tarpley Sr. Guard
Elevate your career with a graduate degree from Samford University’s Brock School of Business.
Master of Accountancy Master of Business Administration
Application Deadlines: Spring: Dec. 1 • Summer: May 1 • Fall: July 1
Entry exam waived for applicants with a 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
FAN
