VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State head women's basketball coach Chandler Merkerson has announced the addition of Brandon Cerezola to the Lady Blazers' coaching staff. Cerezola brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record at the high school and collegiate levels.
 
A native of Peachtree City, Ga., Cerezola returns to the collegiate ranks after most recently serving as the head varsity girls basketball coach at Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville, where he guided the Lady Panthers to one of the most successful seasons in program history.
 
During his two seasons at Starr's Mill, Cerezola compiled a 47-11 record and led the program to its fourth Region 3-AAAA Regular Season Championship in 2025-26. The Lady Panthers finished the 2025-26 campaign with a program-record 25 victories while ranking among the top teams in the state throughout the season. Cerezola was named the Region 3-AAAA Coach of the Year following the historic campaign.
 
Under Cerezola's leadership, Starr's Mill established program records on both ends of the floor. The Lady Panthers averaged a program-best 61.6 points per game while allowing just 35.0 points per contest, also the lowest scoring average allowed in program history. The team went undefeated at home at 12-0 during the 2025-26 season and qualified for the region championship game in each of his two seasons.
 
Cerezola also played a significant role in preparing student-athletes for the next level. During his time at Starr's Mill, his program produced 16 college offer opportunities for five players, while he coached the 2025-26 Region 3-AAAA Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year and saw one player reach the coveted 1,000 career point mark and 1,000 rebounds as a junior.
 
His experience extends well beyond the high school level. Cerezola has spent the past several years working with Southeast All-Stars Adidas 3SSB, where he has coached some of the nation's top young players and helped develop more than 30 athletes who continued their careers at the collegiate level, including more than 20 Division I players. He also worked with multiple nationally ranked prospects and helped the program reach the 17U Nike Champions League Final.
 
Cerezola previously served as the head men's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Landmark Christian School, where he rebuilt the program from the ground up. Taking over with only one returning player during the COVID-19 era, Cerezola improved the team's record each season, progressing from 2-23 in his first year to 16-10 in his fourth. The program returned to the state playoffs for the first time in six seasons and recorded its best overall record since 2014 during the 2023-24 campaign.
 
His collegiate coaching experience includes stops at Schreiner University and Hiwassee College. At Schreiner, Cerezola served as an assistant men's basketball coach and was responsible for defensive coordination, recruiting, player development, scouting and analytics. The team finished the 2019-20 season in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals, while ranking sixth nationally in three-point field-goal percentage defense.
 
At Hiwassee College, Cerezola made history as the program's head women's basketball coach. Named a collegiate head coach at just 23 years old, he guided the team to a 22-5 record, the most wins in the school's 170-year history at the time, and the program's first at-large bid to the NCCAA Division I National Tournament. Hiwassee advanced to the Elite Eight, while also establishing a 12-game winning streak and an 11-1 home record.
 
Cerezola's collegiate coaching career began at Truett McConnell University, where he served as a graduate assistant for both the men's and women's basketball programs. During his time with the Bears, he helped rebuild the women's basketball program with only one returning player on the roster while assisting with recruiting, player development, scouting, strength and conditioning and daily program operations.
 
His connection to Truett McConnell runs even deeper. Cerezola played collegiately for the Bears from 2013-17 as a shooting guard, serving as team captain during his senior season. He was part of a dramatic turnaround that saw Truett McConnell improve from a 4-25 record in 2013-14 to 17-12 the following season. He earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete and Champions of Character honors, was twice named to the Appalachian Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and received the program's Teammate of the Year and Servant Leadership awards.
 
Cerezola earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Sports Management from Truett McConnell in 2017 before earning his Master of Business Administration from the university in 2018.
 
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