Armelia Horton enters her second year as an assistant coach for the Braves.
Horton graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2012 as the winningest student-athlete in Bonnies men’s and women’s basketball history. The Harlem, NY, native helped the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball program to 112 victories from 2007-12, as well as three consecutive WNIT appearances and a run to the 2012 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Bonnies finished 31-4 in 2011-12 and Horton won her final 18 Atlantic 10 Conference games, stretching back to the 2010-11 season.
Having earned a bachelor’s degrees in marketing with a minor in accounting from St. Bonaventure in 2011, Horton earned her MBA during her fifth year at the school in 2012.
"As soon as I was hired, 'Arm' was one of the first people I wanted to bring with me to Peoria," said Bradley Women's Basketball Head Coach Kate Popovec. "I’ve watched her evolve as a coach throughout her tenure at Loyola, and she is known for her great basketball mind and authentic mentorship amongst student-athletes.
"Most importantly, Arm serves as a shining example for our locker room, because of her experiences as a player," Popovec added. "She is the winningest student-athlete in Bonnie’s rich basketball history, competing in multiple championships and a run in the Sweet 16. I’m so pumped she’s joining us on the Hilltop!”
She started her coaching career in the AAU circuit for Full Court Hoops in Buffalo, shortly after Horton began her collegiate coaching career at Loyola Chicago, where she served as the director of operations for the Ramblers from 2016-20. She was elevated to assistant coach and defensive coordinator in 2020, helping the Ramblers climb from an eighth-place Valley finish in 2019-20 to fifth in 2021-22, while also finishing the 2021-22 campaign 18-12 overall for the most wins in a season in 34 years.
With Horton responsible for the implementation of defensive philosophy, principles and skills in her role as defensive coordinator, the Ramblers were one of the top defensive teams in the country in 2021-22, while ranking second in The Valley in scoring defense (55.7 points per game allowed), second in field goal percentage defense (.364), first in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.262) and first in defensive rebound percentage (.754).