Coaching Staff

Bill Ferrara | Associate Head Coach

Florida State Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach Bill Ferrara begins his second season with the Seminoles after a very successful first year in 2022-23.
Ferrara engineered one of FSU's best offenses ever with his "pace and space" philosophy, with the Seminoles scoring 79.3 points per game - their most since the 2017-18 season.
Ferrara's offense ingenuity led to a couple FSU players earning big-time accolades, as guard Ta'Niya Latson was crowned the consensus National Freshman of the Year while forward Makayla Timpson was selected to the All-ACC Second Team.
“Bill brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as a competitive energy and spirit that perfectly complements our staff and program,” Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff said about her first hire. “He is a dedicated student and teacher of the game and is constantly looking for new ways to approach winning. We are so excited for Bill and his family to join our Seminole Family!”
Ferrara brings an established coaching résumé to Tallahassee after impactful stops at Central Michigan, Hofstra, George Washington, Florida, New Mexico and St. John’s.
The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., has assumed a wide variety of roles at each university where he has served, mostly recently as Associate Head Coach at St. John’s.
“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to join Coach Wyckoff’s staff and be part of such an amazing program at Florida State University,” Ferrara said. “I look forward to helping Brooke and FSU Women’s Basketball reach new heights in this next chapter as a Nole!”
Prior to his coaching stint with St. John’s in the 2021-22 season, Ferrara spent four seasons with New Mexico (2017-21) and helped guide the Lobos to an impressive 79-40 record with back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Ferrara was in charge of post play as an assistant coach at UNM where he helped Jaisa Nunn to the 2018-19 Mountain West Player of the Year award and two All-Mountain West selections.
In his final season with New Mexico, the Lobos emerged as Mountain West regular season champions in the 2020-21 season.
In his most recent stint with St. John’s, he guided the offense to an increase of +14 points per game in the 2021-22 season, with the Red Storm finishing in the Top 50 in nearly every offensive category. He had a focus on the team’s offense along with special situations and post play.
From 2015-17, Ferrara made an impact on Florida’s program. The Gators earned a No. 5 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament with Ferrara on the bench, and was an integral part of Florida’s offense where it led the SEC in scoring in that 2015-16 year.
He served a multitude of roles at George Washington from 2013-15, helping with recruiting, strength and conditioning, post play as well as player development.
The Colonials had a signature 29-4 record in the 2014-15 season, capped with a No. 6 seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun was coached by Ferrara during their time with George Washington from 2013-15.
From 2010-13, Ferrara was a recruiting and offensive coordinator at Hofstra. His offense earned Top 20 marks nationally in the 2010-11 (19th) and 2011-12 (12th) seasons.
Ferrara is a graduate of the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management in 2003 and a Master’s of Science in Exercise and Sport Science in 2005.

Morgan Toles | Assistant Coach

Former Head Coach Sue Semrau announced the hiring of former Florida State standout Morgan Toles as the team’s assistant coach on July 13, 2020. She begins her fourth year with the Seminoles in the 2022-23 season.
Toles spent four seasons with Kent State from 2016-20, mentoring the team’s point guards, serving as the Golden Flashes’ recruiting coordinator and guiding the school to plenty of success.
In the 2019-20 season, Kent State won its second Mid-American Conference East Division Title under Toles, while two of her guards in Megan Carter and Katie Shumate earned All-MAC recognition. Shumate was the first freshman to earn All-MAC honors at Kent State since 2008.
Year after year, Toles found a way to make an enormous difference. In 2018-19, former Kent State player Naddiyah Cross became the first Kent State player to total 100 or more assists in consecutive seasons since 2011.
In 2017, Toles was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Thirty Under 30 List.
Also in 2017, she helped engineer one of the best turn-arounds in the country when the Golden Flashes clinched their first MAC Division East Title since 2004-05.
Toles, who hails from Fayetteville, Ga., spent two seasons as a student-athlete at Florida State from 2011-13, then three seasons as a student assistant (2013-14) and graduate assistant (2014-16).
In her senior year in 2012-13, she totaled 127 assists to just 54 turnovers (2.4 A/T) while helping FSU to the NCAA Tournament. Her 127 assists in 37 games played is tied for the 18th-most assists in program history.
She is also one of just eight Seminoles to record 10+ assists multiple times in a season, pouring in 10 vs. Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 23, 2012, and adding 10 at Georgia Tech on Jan. 3, 2013.
In her years as a G.A. with the Seminoles, FSU put together its best season in school history with a 32-5 record and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2014-15. The Seminoles followed that with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2015-16.

Desma Thomas Bateast | Assistant Coach

Florida State Women’s Basketball head coach Brooke Wyckoff has announced the addition of Desma Thomas Bateast to her coaching staff, bringing in a versatile assistant coach who has great experience in several facets of the game.
“Desma brings a wealth of coaching experience, knowledge of the game and passion for the development of student-athletes to our staff,” Wyckoff said. “She has played an important role as part of successful, winning programs at every stop along her coaching journey, and as a former player at the college and professional level, she knows exactly what it takes to compete at the highest level as an athlete. “I am excited not just for the knowledge and experience Desma brings to our program but for the excellent role model she will be for our players and the impact she will have on our fans and supporters.”
Bateast’s most recent stop was a successful one as assistant coach at Cleveland State, helping the Vikings record their second 20-win season in three years, winning the Horizon League title and making an appearance at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Bateast had a large oversight in recruiting, opponent scouting, game preparation and game strategy in her three years with Cleveland State.
From 2017-20, she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida Atlantic where she helped engineer the second-best turnaround for a coaching staff in a debut season at an NCAA Division I program.
The Owls had their highest scoring average in several years at 70.6 points per game in that 2017-18 season.
Bateast had a focus on skill development for the guards and wings at FAU, among several of her responsibilities.
She was part of a successful run at USF from 2013-17, helping the nationally-ranked Bulls make four postseason appearances and three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.
She coordinated all aspects of recruiting, served as the academic liaison, had a skill emphasis on point guard play and assisted the head coach with in-game strategies during her time in Tampa.
The Bulls made three consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship appearances.
Bateast has also coached at FIU, Rhode Island and Dillard University.
She brings WNBA experience as well having served as a scout for the New York Liberty in the 2005-06 season.
Bateast was a standout student-athlete at Miami, being a two-time All-BIG EAST selection and an inductee into the UM Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
She graduated as the program’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made and attempted, racking up 1,284 total points and helping the Hurricanes to consecutive BIG EAST Conference and tournament titles.
Following her collegiate career, Bateast played professionally for five years.

Adam Surguine | Assistant Coach/Scouting and Analytics

Adam Surguine brings a wealth of experience to the Florida State Women’s Basketball team, joining the program in October 2019. In the summer 2022, Surguine’s role was elevated to Director of Scouting and Analytics under the guidance of Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff. He now takes on another new title of being the team's Assistant Coach/Scouting and Analytics.
Surguine has played a big role in assisting the Seminoles to what is now 10 consecutive NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament appearances, including all three tournament-eligible years since his tenure began (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19). He is an enormous asset in all areas, especially on gameday as he serves as the bench’s “eyes and ears.”
Following former FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau’s single-season leave of absence decision, Surguine was elevated to assistant coach for the 2020-21 season on a temporary basis while also staying committed to his video coordinator role.
Just like where much of his experience lies, Surguine assists the Seminole coaching staff and players with film breakdown, game scouting, practice planning, in-game matchups, analytics and several other duties. His current title upgrade is a reflection of him performing exceedingly well in all those areas.
Surguine spent four successful seasons with Campbell University’s women’s basketball program, holding a variety of roles including Special Assistant to the Head Coach (2015-16), Director of Player Personnel and Video Operations (2016-18) and Director of Scouting and Basketball Technology (2018-19).
In his most recent role with the Camels, Surguine was responsible for developing, creating and preparing scouting reports and other materials. He assisted with in-game adjustments and operated a variety of software including Synergy, Homecourt, Photoshop and different analytics programs.
The 2018-19 Campbell team finished as the runner-up in the Big South Conference Tournament and reached the semifinals of the WBI.
Surguine helped the Camels to a second-place regular season finish in 2017, helping with game preparation by creating and editing practice and game footage. He had a myriad of other duties as well, including campus recruiting, directing camps, supervising the team’s managers and practice schedule coordination.
He spent the 2014-15 season with Mount St. Mary’s University as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations. During his stint there, he coordinated and scheduled all team travel and handled the team’s film exchange.
Surguine was an assistant coach at his Alma Mater, Lancaster Bible College, from 2010-14. He helped the school to two National Tournament appearances, two regular-season titles (2013, 2014) and a conference tournament championship in 2013.
In 2010, he received his Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Management at Lancaster Bible College. In 2017, Surguine earned his Master’s of Business Administration at Campbell.
He is married to his wife, Amanda. The two welcomed a son, Otto, in May 2018, and most recently their daughter, Delaney, in March 2023.