Kelly Bond-White is entering her second season as the head coach of SIU's women's basketball team. 

In her first season with the Salukis, Southern posted a record of 12-19 and 8-12 in conference play. On three separate occasions, SIU scored at least 100 points, including a season-high 115 points on Dec. 1, 2022. 

Under Bond-White, Southern Illinois earned a first round victory in the MVC Tournament, defeating Indiana State, 81-79, on March 9, 2023. 

As a team, the Salukis finished the 2022-23 season third in the Valley in points-per-game (73.4) and fourth in field-goal percentage (0.432) under Bond-White. SIU also led the MVC in turnover margin at 2.74 and steals at 9.90. 

Off the court, Bond-White and her staff are working on taking the program to a higher level by creating ways to have fans be apart of the program and to contribute to the success of the team. The name of the club is KBW Next Step. For more information, click here.

Bond-White was named the 11th women’s basketball head coach in program history on March 31, 2022. 

"I'm excited to return home to the state of Illinois where my journey began," she said. 

Bond-White succeeds Cindy Stein, who retired after a 2021-22 season in which the Salukis won their first Missouri Valley Conference championship since 2007 and advanced to the WNIT.

Before SIU, Kelly Bond-White spent 19 season with the Texas A&M women’s basketball team, where she served as Associate Head Coach since the 2007-08 season.

During her tenure at A&M, the Aggies won the 2011 NCAA National Championship, made three Elite Eight appearances, won five conference championships and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament each of the last 16 seasons. She has played a part in 444 wins in 18 seasons in Aggieland—an average of 24 wins a year.

Bond-White, who joined the program shortly after Gary Blair was hired, has helped the Aggies reach the Sweet 16 eight times since 2008.

In her career, Bond-White has been a part of 516 victories, and has coached 40 first or second team all-conference players in her career. She has coached players to 18 Associated Press All-American honors in her career.

Bond-White has spent the last 21 years on Blair’s coaching staff, including all 18 completed seasons at Texas A&M and his last three years at Arkansas. Her teams have made 18 appearances in the NCAA Tournament during those 20 years. During her time at A&M, she has coached 38 first-or-second team all-conference selections and 18 Associated Press All-America selections.

Her recruiting ties have been key for Texas A&M and her contributions on the court have also developed the best guard corps in the league. Bond-White has been instrumental in evaluating and signing recruiting classes that have been consistently ranked in the top 20 in the nation, including the No. 2-ranked class in the nation in 2012, which would go on to win the 2013 SEC Tournament title and reach the 2014 NCAA Elite Eight, and the No. 8-ranked class in 2017, which reached the 2018 NCAA Sweet 16 and produced the National Freshman of the Year, Chennedy Carter.

Bond-White was an assistant for Blair at Arkansas from 2000-03, helping the Razorbacks to a 62-36 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances over three seasons. She got her start in coaching at Providence College during the 1999-00 season.

A former student-athlete, she played point guard for the University of Illinois and helped the Illini achieve several milestones during her four-year career including back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. Bond-White also led the squad to the 1997 Big Ten Championship. During her junior and senior seasons, the Illini reached the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Tournaments and posted 20-win seasons.

"I look forward to engaging with my current student-athletes at SIU and listening to their wants and needs, and bringing my vision of toughness, empowerment, faith, accountability, and a pursuit of excellence in everything we do," she said. "The gift of the present is all we have and I couldn't be more excited to get in the gym with our young ladies and hit the ground running in recruiting."

A 1998 graduate of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Bond-White played high school basketball for the late legendary Chicagoland coach Arthur Penny at Whitney Young High School. She and her husband, Christopher, are the proud parents of Lauryn Christina, born June 25, 2012. They currently reside in College Station and have two Yorkies, Carter and Colson.