Nicci Hays Fort - Director of Recruiting, Influence and Branding Strategy - Women's Basketball Support Staff

Nicci Hays Fort

Title:
Director of Recruiting, Influence and Branding Strategy

Nicci Hays Fort enters her third season on the Oklahoma women's basketball staff in 2026-27.

She was named the Sooners' director of recruiting, influence and branding strategy on Aug. 27, 2024, joining head coach Jennie Baranczyk's staff. With Hays Fort on staff, OU has won over 50 games and advanced to back-to-back Sweet 16s.

In her second season at Oklahoma, Hays Fort helped assemble one of the nation's premier roster-building classes, highlighted by another top-25 recruiting class and one of the country's top transfer portal hauls.

During her first year in Norman, Hays Fort played a key role in securing the nation's No. 15 recruiting class, which featured three top-70 prospects, including the nation's No. 1 overall recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year, Aaliyah Chavez.

A former head coach with more than 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, Hays Fort came to Oklahoma after eight seasons at Drake, including five under Baranczyk. In her role with the Sooners, she leads the program's recruiting strategy and student-athlete retention efforts while overseeing influence and branding initiatives. She collaborates with campus and community stakeholders to strengthen the program's visibility and engagement and serves as the primary contact for NIL opportunities and related partnerships.

During her time at Drake, Hays Fort helped guide the Bulldogs to five NCAA Tournament appearances and seven 20-win seasons. While on Baranczyk's staff, Drake won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships and posted a 53-1 conference record from 2017 to 2019. She also helped lead the Bulldogs to MVC titles in 2023 and 2024, culminating in a program-record 29 wins during the 2023-24 season.

Before Drake, Hays Fort served as head coach at Colgate from 2011 to 2016, where she led the Raiders to their most conference wins in more than a decade and coached seven All-Patriot League selections. Her 2016 squad set a program record with 170 blocked shots.

She spent five seasons at DePaul (2006-11), first as an assistant coach and later as associate head coach. During her tenure, the Blue Demons made five NCAA Tournament appearances and compiled a 112-54 (.675) record. In her final season, DePaul finished No. 10 in the final AP Poll after a 29-7 campaign.

Hays Fort's coaching career also includes stops at Barry University (2002-06), Nicholls State (2000-02) and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1998-00).

A 1998 graduate of Culver-Stockton College, Hays Fort began her collegiate playing career at Truman State University, where she was a two-sport student-athlete in basketball and softball.

Hays Fort and her husband, Gregg, reside in Norman.