Saint Louis University head women's basketball coach Rebecca Tillett announced the addition of former Billiken standout Kyla McMakin to the women's basketball staff as an assistant coach in September of 2025.
McMakin, who spent five years playing under Tillett—three at Longwood and two at Saint Louis—returns to Chaifetz Arena following a standout collegiate career and a professional stint in Morocco. She competed with Itihad Riadhi de Tanger, helping the club to an undefeated championship season while averaging 22 points and four rebounds per game.
"Kyla is a champion," head coach Rebecca Tillett said. "In the last four years, including a year of professional basketball, she has led each program to unprecedented heights. Her mentality and team first approach resonates with players and coaches across the world. There are inner workings of teams, conversations behind closed doors, that only teammates and coaches witness. She has succeeded in leading in powerful moments that championship teams face. She leads teams through inevitable adversity, and consistently rises to meet the challenge. Kyla will work on the offensive side of the ball. She was there when we created and implemented our offense. She will help our scorers and shooters find their moments and teach our best screeners what it takes to work in harmony. Our staff is thrilled to welcome Kyla back to chase excellence with our now complete and cohesive unit."
During her two seasons at Saint Louis, McMakin was instrumental in elevating the Billikens to unprecedented heights. She helped guide SLU to back-to-back championship runs, including the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, followed by the 2024 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) championship.
A prolific scorer throughout her career, McMakin closed her collegiate tenure with 2,899 points, ranking 16th all-time in NCAA Division I history at the time. She is one of only three players to surpass 1,000 points at two different schools. At SLU, she set single-season scoring records and earned multiple All-Conference honors while consistently ranking among the A-10 leaders in scoring, free throws, and minutes played. McMakin ended her career with the record for most minutes played in NCAA women's basketball history.
Prior to her time at Saint Louis, McMakin starred at Longwood, where she was a three-time First Team All-Big South honoree, Freshman of the Year, and the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She helped lead the Lancers to their first-ever Big South Championship, NCAA Tournament and NCAA Tournament win in 2022.
"I am truly grateful for the opportunity to return to SLU, this time as a coach," McMakin said. "My experience as a Billiken shaped me both on and off the court, and I'm excited to bring those lessons into this new chapter. I want to thank Chris May, Dr. Janet Oberle, and Coach Tillett for their trust and support in giving me this opportunity.
I am especially excited to work alongside Coach Tillett. From the moment I met her, I've admired her passion, energy, and the way she empowers her players and staff. She has a vision that is not only about winning games but also about building strong, confident women, and that is something I deeply believe in. Being able to learn from her leadership while also contributing my own perspective as a former player is an honor.
I know this journey holds many great things ahead, and I couldn't be more excited to grow with this program, this coaching staff, and these incredible student-athletes."
