Billy Bales joined the VCU Basketball staff in April of 2023 as director of video. The Tennessee native was one of a number of staff members to follow Ryan Odom from Utah State to VCU.Â
Prior to VCU, Bales served as director of player development for Utah State from 2021-23 and helped the Aggies to a 2023 NCAA Tournament berth, as well as a 2022 NIT appearance. Three Utah State players received All-Mountain West Conference honors during Bales tenure, including 2023 First Team selection Steven Ashworth.Â
Bales also worked with Odom at UMBC prior to his tenure in Logan, Utah, where he assisted with daily scheduling, created social media content and fulfilled other duties where assigned. During his one year with the Retrievers, UMBC captured the America East regular season title, finishing with an overall mark of 14-6, including a 10-4 ledger in league play.
Prior to his time in Baltimore, Bales got his coaching start at his alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne University. He spent two seasons (2018-20) as the graduate assistant under head coach Everick Sullivan. During his tenure, the Bears received an at-large bid to the school’s seventh NCAA D-II Tournament, advanced to their first South Atlantic Conference Championship game since 2005 and reached as high as No. 17 in the D-II rankings.
Bales, originally from Elizabethton, Tenn., earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and a master's of University Leadership from Lenoir-Rhyne. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Bears and led the team to an NCAA Division II Regional Final appearance during the 2015-16 season under Odom.
