NASHVILLE — Tennessee State University men's basketball head coach Brian "Penny" Collins has finalized his staff for the upcoming season and has appointed former Tiger standout Brandon Lockridge as the director of basketball operations for the 2022-23 season. 

With the addition of Lockridge, Collins promoted Josh Bone to assistant coach after spending the previous seasons as a video coordinator and director of basketball operations. Collins also bumped up assistant coaches Russ Willemsen and Jerry Nichols after the departure of former top assistant Ben Walker, who is now at Milwaukee.

Lockridge is no stranger to the Gentry Center as he previously served in the same capacity under then-head coach Cy Alexander during the 2007-08 season after two seasons as a graduate assistant video coordinator.

As a player, Lockridge served as a team co-captain his senior season and was regarded as one of the top 3-point shooters in the OVC. He finished his collegiate career 10th all-time in the TSU record books with 116 3-point field goals. Lockridge has a career night as a junior when he dropped 18 points in 24 minutes connecting on 6-of-9 from downtown at Ohio State. He finished his junior season seventh in the OVC in 3-point shooting.

His coaching career began in 2014 on Coach Collins' staff at Columbia State where the duo led the Chargers to back-to-back NJCAA National Tournament appearances including runs to the Elite Eight in 2014, Sweet 16, and Region 7 Championship in 2015.

Lockridge comes back to North Nashville after turning around the Nimitz High School program, leading the Cougars to a 20-win season and their first playoff win in 11 years.

Entering their fifth seasons with the Tigers, Willemsen and Nichols joined TSU with Coach Collins and have been an instrumental part of the staff as recruiting coordinators and player development.

The Tigers open the season on Nov. 7 at home against Fisk University.