RENO, Nev. - Nevada Women's Basketball head coach Kelly Sopak has announced the complete Wolf Pack coaching staff for 2026-27.

The Pack adds two brand new staff members and three familiar faces. Tyler Ellis and Jesse Clark are both new to Nevada, while Brittany Aikens returns following a stint away, with Lavaris Duncan and Shea Mead remaining on staff. 

Ellis comes to Nevada from UC Irvine where she spent eight years. She will serve as a senior assistant coach. 

Ellis helped lead the Anteaters to five straight 20-win campaigns. Last season, they had an overall record of 26-7 and made an appearance in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

In 2023-24, UC Irvine won the Big West Championship for the second time in program history and earned a No. 13 seed in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. 

In Ellis' first season as an assistant coach in 2022-23, the 'Eaters won the program's first Big West regular-season title and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. UC Irvine set school records in overall wins (25), conference wins (16) and scoring defense. The Anteaters' 53.2 points allowed per game ranked seventh in the nation. 

Ellis spent the previous three seasons as UC Irvine's Director of Women's Basketball Operations. In 2021-22, UC Irvine tied a then school record with 21 wins. The Anteaters advanced to the finals of the Big West Championship for the second year in a row and received the league's automatic berth to the postseason WNIT.
 
In 2020-21, Ellis, who was responsible for travel arrangements and scheduling, helped the 'Eaters not only have a season during the pandemic, but also helped them to their first conference tournament final since 1997. 
 
Ellis played four years at New Mexico State (2013-17), leading the Aggies to three consecutive Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles. She was team captain as a senior on the 2016-17 championship squad.

Clark joins the Wolf Pack staff with over 25 years of coaching experience across multiple levels, working at Division I, Division II and the NAIA with extensive experience across several roles. He joins the Pack as a senior assistant coach.
 
He was the head coach at Division II Academy of Art before briefly being added to the Long Beach State staff. Spending two seasons in San Francisco, Clark began the 2024-25 season with a 5-0 start and lifted the team to a five-win improvement in his second season at the helm of the program.
 
Prior to moving to the Academy of Art, Clark spent two seasons on staff at UC San Diego where he worked as both the video coordinator as well as the Director of Basketball operations for the Tritons as UCSD transitioned into Division I as a member of the Big West.
 
His stop before UC San Diego saw Clark working as an assistant coach at Point Loma, where he spent three seasons after working as an assistant coach at San Diego State. During his six-year stint with Saint Mary's as an assistant coach, the Gaels compiled 112 victories and made four consecutive trips to the WNIT, capped by a quarterfinal appearance in his final season. Clark has also worked in various roles in women's basketball with Stanford, San Francisco and Cal State Bakersfield.
 
Clark entered the coaching ranks in 1996 as an assistant at his alma mater, Pacific Union College, where he also doubled as assistant athletic director and sports information director. In 1997, he was elevated to head coach, leading the Pioneers to three California Pacific Conference Tournament appearances in five seasons.

Aikens returns to Nevada following stints at Cal State Fullerton, Army and Seattle University. She will also be a senior assistant coach.

Aikens had two stints at Cal State Fullerton. In her first rotation, she assisted on the offensive side of the ball and helped guide the Titans to back-to-back Big West Tournament appearances. The 2025-26 season was her second stint, where the Titans finished with an 18-14 overall record and a 13-7 record in conference play. It was just the second winning season since the 1990-91 season and the team had the most conference wins since 1990-91.

Prior to returning to Fullerton, Aikens served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Army, where she helped lead the Black Knights to a 25-win season—tied for the second-most in program history—and a runner-up finish in both the Patriot League regular season and championship tournament. Army earned an automatic bid to the WNIT and secured the program's first postseason victory. 

Aikens also spent two seasons at Seattle University, assisting on defense.

She began her coaching career at Nevada from 2018-20, first as a graduate assistant while earning her master's degree, then as Director of Player Development, gaining valuable experience in recruiting, scouting, and individual player growth.

As a player, Aikens competed at Fresno State from 2013–16, helping lead the Bulldogs to a Mountain West championship game, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a WNIT bid. She began her collegiate career at Howard College and later played semi-professionally for the SoCal Splash, winning both conference and regional titles.

Duncan returns to the Wolf Pack for his fourth season on the coaching staff as assistant coach and will also be the Director of Player Development. In his time at Nevada, Duncan has helped develop post players and defense.

Mead also remains on staff, entering his 12th season. He will hold the title of Senior Director of Basketball Strategy & Operations.