Bio

Markell Cox joined the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in June 2024 as their women's basketball head coach. Prior to UHSP, Cox built a reputation as a proven program rebuilder and recruiting specialist. He previously served as head coach at Bluefield University, leading the Rams to their first winning season since 2016–17 and finishing 2nd in the Appalachian Athletic Conference in points per game (73.8). His coaching résumé also includes stops at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, Cincinnati Christian University, Urbana University, Clark State, and Southeastern Illinois College. Cox also spent time as the head coach of the Dayton Lady Hoop Stars U17 (AAU) team.

In his inaugural campaign with UHSP, Cox’s Eutectics set a new program record and all-time No. 1 mark with 38.7 rebounds per game, while producing 2 AMC All-Conference selections, 2 NAIA Scholar-Athlete Award winners, and 11 AMC All-Academic honorees. Cox’s squad also etched its name into the UHSP record books with several top-five all-time program achievements in 2024–25, including:

• 1st – Rebounds per Game (38.7)
• 2nd – Total Rebounds (1,077)
• 2nd – Blocked Shots (67)
• 5th – Steals (209)
• 5th – 3-Point Field Goals Made (168)
• 5th – 3-Point Field Goals Attempted (578)
• Single-game records: 55 rebounds vs Harris-Stowe (4th all-time), 54 rebounds vs Crowley’s Ridge (5th all-time), and a perfect 100% three-point percentage vs Hannibal-LaGrange (2/1/25) and vs Crowley’s Ridge (1/23/25).

During his final month at Bluefield, Cox began serving as a coach at the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Rock Hill, S.C. There he selected up to 400 players from the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 for the Individual Pathway at women's academies. It was also there that he obtained his USA Basketball Gold Coach license.

Cox offers 12 years of dedicated involvement in collegiate athletics on the NCAA and NAIA levels, including eight years of successful head coaching experience. He boasts skills in navigating the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics, with specific expertise in NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) committee participation while he also served on a national committee for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association representing the AAC as the conference captain. 

The Memphis, Tenn. native has coached multiple all-conference players, professional athletes, and dozens of academic award winners.

A member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Cox earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Education from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2010 and a second Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Business Education from Middle Tennessee State University in 2013.