Colby Tilley returns for his 14th season as the head coach of the Kennesaw State women's basketball program. In his 13 previous seasons as the Lady Owls' leader, Tilley has posted an impressive 241-136 record for a .639 winning percentage.

For three decades, Tilley has established himself as one of the most successful and well-respected members of the women's basketball community. Tilley holds an impressive 693-256 record over the past 31 years as a collegiate head coach and has a sparkling .730 winning percentage for his career.

Kennesaw State has improved every season under Tilley since moving to the Atlantic Sun Conference for the 2005-06 season. Last season, the Lady Owls finished their third season of A-Sun with the first-ever winning record for a Division I Kennesaw State basketball team. Tilley led the Lady Owls to a 16-12 mark and finished tied for third place in the conference with an 11-5 mark.

The 2006-07 squad finished with a 13-16 record and was 8-10 in conference play. In 2005-06, Kennesaw State's first at the D-I level, the Lady Owls fought hard, but finished the season with a 4-16 record in the A-Sun and a 5-22 record overall. The 5-22 record ended Tilley's streak of 15 consecutive winning seasons.

Tilley is also a top developer of individual talent. Last season, Tilley coached two of the top players in the A-Sun. Britteny Henderson was named A-Sun Women's Basketball Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference, while guard Greteya Kelley earned A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year honors.

In addition, Tilley has also coached all-conference honorees in Jennifer Baker (2006-07) and Shavonder Clarke (2005-06) as well as 2006-07 All-Freshman Team selection Rosetta Hollis.

In 2004-05, Tilley captured his 200th win as leader of the Lady Owls when his team downed Armstrong Atlantic 76-71 on February 2, 2005, en route to a 17-13 record.

During his stellar career at Kennesaw State, Tilley has guided Kennesaw State to three of their top four winning seasons. He has led the Lady Owls to three twenty-win seasons and had a 30-win campaign in 1996-97 which was the Black and Gold's first NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Tilley again marched into the Elite Eight in 1998-99 when his 28-4 team advanced to Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Tilley is the winningest coach in the history of Kennesaw State basketball, men or women. He surpassed the late Ron Walker who coached KSU from 1986-1992 after the Lady Owls downed Armstrong Atlantic 78-54 for his 125th win on December 9, 2000. By adding another 20-win season to his resume, Tilley will tie Walker with four 20-plus win seasons.

Before arriving on the KSU campus, Tilley spent nine years as the head coach at Auburn University at Montgomery (Ala.), where he started the women's basketball program in 1986.

While putting together an overall mark of 218-74 (.747) at Auburn-Montgomery, his teams captured five Southern States Conference titles, five NAIA District 27 crowns and made seven appearances at the NAIA National Championship tournament. In the 1993-94 season, Tilley led the Lady Senators to their best finish and a Final Four showing. His last year pacing the Lady Senators was in 1994-95 during which his team went 34-3 overall while advancing to the Elite Eight.

Prior to taking the job at AUM, Tilley ran the women's basketball team at Truett-McConnell (Junior) College in Cleveland, Georgia from 1976 to 1984.

During his time at TMJC he steered the team to a 236-46 overall record (.837) in nine seasons. Tilley had one of the best back-to-back seasons in JUCO history when he led the Lady Danes to a 36-win season in 1979-80 and a 31-win campaign during the 1980-81 season.

Overall he won five state championships, four Region 17 titles, and a national crown in 1980. Over his 24 campaigns on the bench, Tilley has garnished several coaching honors, including being named the 1999 and 1997 NCAA Division II Coach-of -the-Year in Georgia by the Atlanta Tip-off Club.

He has also been given the Georgia Basketball Lifetime Achievement Award by the same organization for having at least 400 career wins. The 1997 PBAC Coach of the Year, Tilley has also been selected as the District Coach of the Year four times and Regional Coach of the Year twice while at AUM; and Region Coach of the Year on six more occasions at Truett-McConnell.

In the Danettes' national championship season, he was selected as the 1980 NJCAA National Coach of the Year. Tilley is also a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

Tilley began his coaching career in 1972 at Chatham (N.C.) Central High School, where he was an assistant football coach, head track coach and boys' basketball coach for the freshman squad. He later moved up to the collegiate ranks at TMC in 1976.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Tilley received his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in 1972. He went on to earn a master's degree from Georgia Southern University in 1974 and AUM in 1988. He also received his Ed.S (education specialist) degree at Auburn-Montgomery in 1992.