Ashton Arnold will be on the bench for his first season as a member of Billy Gillispie's staff for the 2025-26 slate.
Most recently prior to Tarleton State, Arnold served as an assistant coach at Eastern Florida State College. His duties included recruiting, opponent scouting reports, film breakdown and player development. He was a part of the first-year staff that won 23 games, the most by a first-year staff in program history. The Titans were ranked in the NJCAA D1 Top 25 for the first 11 weeks of the season, being ranked as high as number eight on week two and three. Helped lead all five starters to committing to Division I programs at the end of the season.
After his time at Eastern Florida State College, Arnold was an assistant coach over the summer at Chipola College. He served under head coach Donnie Tyndall, former University of Tennessee and NBA G-League head coach. Arnold played a key role in helping recruit and build the Indians 2025-26Â roster.
Arnold has spent time with three AAU programs over the summer. He is responsible for the founding of the Utah Valley Prime Basketball Club, where he was the head coach of the 16U squad. In their first season, the team posted a 30-2 overall record and won the 3SSB Championship in rock Hill, SC. He also served on the Austin Rivers Elite 17U team in the summer of 2025, and the Vegas Elite Basketball Club 16U team in the summer of 2023.
He spent his final two collegiate years earning his bachelor’s degree from BYU in general studies emphasis in business management. While a student at BYU, he served as the head junior varsity and assistant varsity coach at Orem High School from 2022 to 2024. He held a 39-9 overall head coaching record at the JV level. He assisted with the development of six future Division I athletes after graduation from Orem HS. The Tigers won back-to-back conference championships and made back-to-back Utah State Quarterfinals appearances.
He graduated with his associate degree in business management at Ventura College. While at Ventura, Arnold played wide receiver for Pirates. He totaled seven receptions for 57 yards averaging 6.3 yards per catch. Arnold was a dual sport athlete in high school competing in both baseball and basketball. He spent his final two prep seasons at Royal High School in Simi Valley, Calif, where he was a class of 2017 graduate. During his time at Royal, he served as team captain for both basketball and football and was selected First Team All-League in each sport. He spent his first two years of high school at Kalaheo High School in Hawaii where he was a member of the 2015 squad that won the Hawaii State Championship.
His grandfather, Frank Arnold, served as an assist coach legendary college basketball coach John Wooden to 3 NCAA championships at UCLA. He then became the head coach at BYU where he led the program to the Elite Eight, their most recent trip in program history. His father, Gib Arnold, served as a college basketball coach at six Division I programs as well as an NBA scout for the Boston Celtics for five seasons. Currently, Gib Arnold is Director of Mental Performance & Player Personnel at the University of Washington.
