Hayden Priddy joined the ORU women's basketball staff in 2022 as an assistant coach.
Priddy has been on staff for one of the strongest stretches in recent program history. After a 12-19 finish in 2022-23, ORU won 21
games and reached the WNIT in 2023-24 — the program's first 20-win season since 2011-12 and its first postseason appearance
since 2015. The Golden Eagles followed with a 24-9 campaign in 2024-25, a second-place finish in the Summit League, a WBIT
berth and the highest win total the program has posted since 1983. ORU went 15-15 in 2025-26 and reached the quarterfinals of
the Summit League Championship.
Priddy works in offensive development and is one of three staff members who prepare ORU's scouting reports. She also directs the
program's social media, overseeing content planning and daily publishing across the Golden Eagles' platforms. She came to Tulsa
as one of the most decorated players in the history of Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), where she played for
former ORU head coach Kelsi Musick and current ORU head coach Cophie Anderson.
A standout four-year letterwinner and three-year starting point guard at SWOSU from 2015-19, Priddy was inducted into the
SWOSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. She finished her career as the program's all-time leader in assists with 489, ranking second
in three-point field goals made (250) and steals (174), and third in both scoring (1,864 points) and free throw percentage (.848).
She also ranks second in Great American Conference history in scoring. Priddy was a three-time All-GAC selection beginning as a
sophomore, a two-time All-Central Region pick and a four-time GAC Player of the Week.
Priddy's senior season in 2018-19 ranks among the best in league history. She led the Lady Bulldogs to the NCAA Division II
National Championship game and a 35-2 overall record, which included the first undefeated conference season in GAC history and
a second consecutive GAC regular season championship. Priddy averaged 17.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per
game and led the GAC with 91 made three-pointers on her way to being named the Great American Conference and Central Region
Player of the Year. She earned selections to three All-America teams — First Team honors from the Division II Conference
Commissioners Association and Division II Bulletin, along with honorable mention from the WBCA.
Priddy was at her best in the postseason. She was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Central Regional Championships
after scoring 32 points in the regional championship victory over third-ranked Fort Hays State, played before the largest crowd in
Division II that season. She also earned a spot on the All-GAC Tournament Team and shared SWOSU Female Athlete of the Year
honors for 2018-19. That fall she was named the Jim Thorpe Oklahoma Athlete of the Year by the Amateur Athletic Union's
Oklahoma District, an award whose past recipients include Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield and Jason White.
Across her four years, Priddy was part of 101 wins, two GAC regular season championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances
and one GAC Tournament championship. Her historic senior season was capped off by the only Central Region championship, NCAA
Division II Elite Eight and national championship game appearance in SWOSU's NCAA era.
Following graduation, Priddy began her career on the administrative side at SWOSU, working in admissions and recruitment while
earning her MBA. She moved into coaching as an assistant at Madill (Okla.) High School for one season before joining the ORU staff.
A graduate of Piedmont (Okla.) High School, Priddy was named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association Large All-State Girls
Basketball team and was a dual-sport athlete who lettered in both basketball and track and field. She has two degrees from
Southwestern Oklahoma State, earning her bachelor's degree in business management in 2019 and her Master of Business
Administration in 2021
