DAYTON, Ohio - University of Dayton women's basketball head coach Jim Jabir has announced the addition of Kayla Ard to his staff. Ard will serve as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Jabir after spending the last two seasons at Clemson.

"We are excited to welcome Kayla to the Dayton Flyer family," commented Jabir. "She will bring intensity, passion and an incredible work ethic to our program and will be an excellent addition to our staff."

Ard spent the previous two seasons at Clemson and had also made stops at Troy and Pensacola State.

"I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to coach at the University of Dayton," said Ard following the announcement. "Coach Jabir has built one of the top women's basketball programs in the country and I am honored to be joining his staff. I am eager to contribute to his program while continuing to excel in such a tough conference as well as reach new heights nationally. The academic and athletic resources on this beautiful campus offer an environment that supports our student-athletes growth as leaders on our campus and in our community. I am very grateful to the athletic department, administration, and community, for their hospitality and welcoming me into the Flyer family."

Ard was a standout recruiter and assistant coach at Pensacola State College (Fla.) during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The Pirates went to two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Semifinals in her two seasons at the program.

As recruiting coordinator at PSC, Ard signed three WBCA All-Americans, and coached the players to 13 All-Conference honors. Her players moved on to earn scholarships in the Big East, SEC, Pac-12, and Colonial Athletic Conference.

She worked at Troy under Chanda Rigby, whom she followed from Pensacola State before the 2012-13 season. She,was instrumental in putting together Troy's eight-member 2013 signing class, which included three NJCAA All-Americans. Ard played for Rigby at Loranger (LA) high school, where she averaged 26.0 points per game, and led the team to a state title in 2000.

Ard has a great deal of coaching experience, including stops at AAU programs.

After attending Chipola Junior College for one year, Ard graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2010, and earned her Master's degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix in 2013.