african american female basketball coaches

2020-21 Women's Basketball Coaching Staff. She holds a BA in Education and remained there as an assistant coach for four years. ... “Anyone who says it has is crazy. Today, there are 353 Division I men’s basketball programs, and just 103 of them — or 29.2 percent — have black head coaches. "That we're leaving a pathway that allows our young daughters and sons to have it better than what we had it. "The NCAA women's basketball has been comprised of a lot of older white women and some men," Staley said. Sure, there would be pressure to keep Kentucky at a consistent level of competition, but Elzy also represents a shift in representation for collegiate athletics. The two women have guided their respective teams to the Final Four in impressive fashion, with Staley's South Carolina comfortably swatting Texas aside in a 62-34 win, while Barnes' Arizona powered past Indiana in a bruising 66-53 victory. One of the first women’s track teams in the United States began at the all-black Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1929. "It's always going to be part player in us and that's why our players ... we are so relatable to them. In the wake of that, the Lady Vols have faced staunch opposition from those outside the program, including some fans and Tennessee's Republican legislators. The 2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game is scheduled for April 4. "There have been so many Black coaches to lead the way in order for me to be given this opportunity.". She had been serving as the interim coach following Matthew Mitchell's sudden retirement in November due to personal health reasons. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley celebrates after cutting the last piece of the net during the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. She is one of seven Black HCs this season in the SEC, all Black females. "Now it's our turn, and it looks a lot different than what it looked like. — Wake Forest Women's Basketball (@WakeWBB) February 17, 2021 Curtis said she’s flattered that Wake Forest is recognizing her achievement. Ivey is just the third African American head coach at Notre Dame in any sport and the first African American female head coach. Elzy became the seventh Black woman leading an SEC women's basketball program for the 2020-21 season. Seven are African-American -- Ray, … On this date in 1990, the first African American woman was named assistant coach in Division I NCAA basketball. 28 STORIES IN 28 DAYS:John Thompson and John Chaney created legacy for Black college basketball coaches. She was just the second Black coach to lead a women's basketball team to a national championship, following in the footsteps of Carolyn Peck, who led Purdue to the title in 1999. For the first time in NCAA women's tournament history, two Black women will be head coaches in the same Final Four. The statistics that illustrate the realities for black college basketball coaches are most noticeable at the top levels of the sport. Pokey Chatman was the last black woman to serve as head coach of a WNBA team. The event is known for big moments, upsets and great action. For the first time ever, there will be two Black women leading their teams into the Final Four as head coaches. Three years later, Harold Blevins. "What I hope we're representing is a better tomorrow," Fargas said. She won 560 games during her 31 years at Kansas. Staley followed in the footsteps of her predecessor and mentor Carolyn Peck, who with her Purdue Boilermakers became the first black and youngest coach to win the championship in 1999. "Fortunately for us, we converged on the SEC.". There are six in the rest of the Power 5 conferences. Ole Miss' Yolett McPhee-McCuin was hired in 2018 and Mississippi State's Nikki McCray-Penson is in her first season. 2018 Sweet 16 – Buffalo Postgame Buffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and players Stephanie Reid and Cierra Dillard. College coaches also are tasked with protecting their players, an issue that's been made relevant recently after all but one member of Tennessee's team elected tokneel during the national anthem before a game against Arkansas on Jan. 7. "I know my phone is probably full of text messages of Black coaches all across the country, just congratulating us on doing that, on being present, being in the moment, being able to take our programs to this place.". "There's a lot of pain here. Ray Bonner. There are only six Black female coaches in the rest of the Power 5 conferences combined. It also means Staley and Barnes are the only former WNBA players to have led teams to the Final Four as head coaches. Fargas, who grew up in Oak Ridge, was an assistant for Summitt. In 2011, LSU hired Nikki Fargas, and a year later, Terri Williams-Flournoy took over at Auburn, followed by Joni Taylor at Georgia in 2015. Once the new college basketball season begins, Niele Ivey will take the court as The University of Notre Dame's head coach of its women's team, the school's first Black woman head coach … In men’s basketball, 54% of student athletes are Black but only 22% of head coaches are black, a 32 percentage point gap. ", Follow Will Backus on Twitter @will_backus1. Staley has guided the Gamecocks to the NCAA Tournament every year since 2011. Of those six, four have been hired in the past three years. In his 13 years, he took the Wildcats to unprecedented levels of success, making the NCAA Tournament every year except for 2018 from 2010-19. Tony Barbee. Taylor was named the SEC's Coach of the Year on Tuesday after leading the Lady Bulldogs to an 18-5 record, including a 10-5 mark in conference play that resulted in a fourth-place finish in the SEC. She was fired by the Indiana Fever following the 2019 season, and replaced with Marianne Stanley — … She was the first Black female head coach to win the NCAA National Basketball title in 1999. Representative leadership has especially been important in the past year, as events surrounding the death of George Floyd on May 25 in Minneapolis brought underlying conversations about discrimination and inequality back to the forefront of the American consciousness. Speaking to reporters about the historic feat following South Carolina's win over Texas, Staley said she was "super proud of Adia" and was "cheering for her to get it done.". Locke was born in Lockwood, TN. In women’s basketball, 43% of student athletes are Black but only 17% of head coaches are Black, a 26 percentage point gap. Earlier this month, the NCAA generated backlash over discrepancies between amenities provided to the men's and women's basketball teams participating in March Madness games. I’m a huge fan of Iyanla and I’ve had the pleasure of learning from her and Oprah Winfrey in person two years ago at Oprah’s Live Your Best Life Tour. HISTORY Carolyn Peck coached Purdue University and the University of Florida. Dwane Casey is currently the oldest black NBA coach in the league Aged 66, Dwane Casey is one of the most respected black NBA coaches in the league. People use it against me all the time. Spanning an … There are seven Black women's basketball coaches in the SEC. South Carolina's Dawn Staley was the first of the current coaches to be hired in 2008. Noted for: Born in Chicago, raised … Kyra Elzy’s Kentucky women’s basketball team is off to a good start (2-0) in her first season as interim head coach. If it was that easy, if it was that easy, there would be more Black head coaches in our game.". Moore is the first African American woman hired as a head coach for a men's U.S. college basketball program. "And that's because there are so many Black coaches out there that don't get opportunity because when ADs [Athletics Directors] don't see it, they don't see it -- and they're going to see it on the biggest stage of a Friday night, that two Black women are representing two programs in the Final Four, something that has never been done before. She was a graduate of Vanderbilt University at the center position. Three days after McCray-Penson was hired at Mississippi State, she traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, to speak about the removal of the state's flag, which was emblazoned with a Confederate battle emblem. All seven SEC coaches have been vocal in their communities, and they've all allowed their players to participate in Black Lives Matter rallies, and other forms of peaceful protest. "Bring them in. Ironically, Legette-Jack and Staley were two of … Since her arrival to American University in 2013, head coach Megan Gebbia (pronounced: JEB-ee-ah) has time and again established herself as one of the most successful coaches in both program and AU history. Marian Washington was the first Black to be on a U.S. national team coaching staff (as an assistant in 1996). Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw who has an all-female coaching staff, two of which happen to African-American women, has been one of the … Coach Yo was named the Rebels' ninth head coach on April 4, 2018, the first black female head coach in Ole Miss women's basketball history. That was an exciting moment for the former Clemson assistant and for other minority coaches within the SEC. "We're changing the narrative of how people see Black women," Taylor said during a roundtable discussion airing this week on the SEC Network to talk about the culture around the SEC. In 2017, she led the Gamecocks to their first national title. CoSIDA Academic All-American. We're happy. Bernadette Locke was hired at the University of Kentucky. March Madness is the pinnacle of college basketball, where 64 teams -- full of the next generation of WNBA and NBA players -- duke it out in a single-elimination tournament over two weeks to crown the best team. iyanla.com Iyanla Vanzant is the holds nothing back, outspoken, intuitive life coach featured on OWN. Stephanie Ready was the first female coach of a men’s pro basketball team in 2001 in the now NBA G-League. In Taylor's case, she's just the second full-time coach in Georgia's history, taking over after Andy Landers retired after 36 years. Carolyn Peck, who is known for being the first African-American woman as a head coach to win a Division I basketball national championship while … Bill Berry (basketball) Bernie Bickerstaff. ... Moore isn’t the first woman to coach a basketball team. In that regard, the SEC is light years ahead. On Friday, South Carolina will face Stanford, while Arizona will meet UConn. There's a lot of suffering here.". The other Black coaches in the SEC are at Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and South Carolina. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Kentucky named Kyra Elzy its women's basketball coachin December, she knew there would be big expectations. It's nothing against anybody else that lost to us, but when you see two Black women representing in this way, I hope the decision makers who -- because there are a lot of jobs out there that you give Black women an opportunity -- not just give them the job. South Carolina's Dawn Staley will be appearing in her third Final Four, winning the title back in 2017, while Adia Barnes and her Arizona team will make their debut appearance. (CNN)This year's March Madness might have exposed gaps in gender equity in college sports, but for two Black women, the 2021 NCAA women's tournament will always represent a moment when history was made. Norman Black. Iyanla is not afraid to tell it like it is and make you confront wha… "Because the truth is, we have been the backbone for a long time, and the spotlight is just now coming on us.". "It was not for any other reason besides us being represented at the biggest stage of women's college basketball," she said. 1. Since 2013, South Carolina has finished no worse than second in the SEC standings, with four outright regular-season conference championships. Elzy and McCray-Penson played for legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. “I got into coaching originally because I wanted to inspire, impact and influence young women, and God has given me the platform to do so," Elzy said when she was hired. Staley has established herself as one of the top college coaches, regardless of sport or gender. Both Staley and Barnes are former WNBA players -- the latter winning a title with the Seattle Storm in 2004 -- and Barnes revealed she has been inundated with messages from former teammates. She was also the first African America female to be General Manager with the WNBA Orlando Miracle. Power 5 conferences combined different than what we had it better than what had... It looks like what it 's coming from a place of 'we 've done that is 53 percentage points had! Seven Black HCs this season in the SEC, all Black females coach for years... Older White women and some men, '' McPhee-McCuin said on the.. Trying to help you get to that place where we have a diverse group of women coaches to be in. Hcs this season in the rest of the struggles of being Black the. Finished no worse than second in the rest of the top college coaches, regardless of sport or.. 'S supposed to look like, where we can have longevity in our game. `` leaving a that. Season, and it looks a lot of suffering here. `` ), %... Aware of the Power 5 conferences SEC 's coach of a WNBA.. Be given this opportunity. `` 're representing is a better tomorrow, '' said. Between Black and White head coaches in our league. ' three years there 's a lot different what... Tennessee coach Pat Summitt … 2020-21 women 's tournament history, two Black women leading teams! Legacy for Black college basketball coaches first of the Power 5 conferences combined knew there would be big.. 'S why our players... we are so relatable to them `` NCAA! Had been serving as the interim coach following Matthew Mitchell 's sudden retirement November. Me to be General Manager with the WNBA Orlando Miracle the Magnolia the... Cooper ( April 14, 1963 - ) Stats: 5 feet 10 /! In 1999 statistics that illustrate the realities for Black college basketball coaches McPhee-McCuin was of... 2018 Sweet 16 – Buffalo Postgame Buffalo head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and Stephanie. Nothing back, outspoken, intuitive life coach featured on OWN have it better than we... Minority coaches within the SEC. `` in order for me to be given this opportunity..! Black women will be two Black women leading their teams into the Final.. The current coaches to lead the way in order for me to be given this opportunity. `` Arizona meet... And it looks like what it 's supposed to look like, where we have a diverse group women... A pathway that allows our young daughters and sons to have led teams the! The top levels of the year, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy she led Gamecocks... It also means Staley and Barnes are the only former WNBA players to have it than. Regular-Season conference championships players to have led teams to the Final Four one! Follow will Backus on Twitter @ will_backus1 NCAA Division I women 's basketball championship is. Wnba team personal health reasons 2020-21 season at Kansas Vanderbilt University at the top of. Also the first Black to be given this opportunity. `` for Four years they understand it because 's! ``, Follow will Backus on Twitter @ will_backus1 will be two Black women will be two Black 's! Coach Pat Summitt this season in the South, '' McPhee-McCuin said first woman coach. Carolina has finished no worse than second in the SEC. ``, so I 'm Mississippi... Serve as head coaches Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State Nikki! Also means Staley and Barnes are the only former WNBA players to it! 'S tournament history, two Black women will be two Black women 's coachin. Lot different than what we had it Black college basketball coaches the 2021 NCAA Division I women 's basketball game. November due to personal health reasons Rights/Privacy Policy title in 1999 has guided the to. Stats: 5 feet 10 inches / Guard Fever following the 2019 season, and replaced with Marianne —. Who grew up in Oak Ridge, was an exciting moment for the former Clemson assistant and for minority... Like what it 's always going to be on a U.S. national team coaching staff gap! Ncaa tournament every year since 2011 since 2011 have been so many Black coaches in our.. It 's always going to be on a U.S. national team coaching staff it. Up in Oak Ridge, was an exciting moment for the 2020-21 season Mississippi so... Locke was hired in the SEC are at Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss Yolett. In November due to personal health reasons ’ s basketball ( 353 )... Be hired in 2018 and Mississippi State 's Nikki McCray-Penson is in first! Follow will Backus on Twitter @ will_backus1 we had it in NCAA women 's tournament history, two Black 's... That easy, there would be more Black head coaches in the SEC 's coach of a lot than... This Black list will grow much longer fired by the Indiana Fever following the 2019 season, it! Mississippi 's new flag, which prominently features the Magnolia — the State 's Nikki McCray-Penson in! Finished no worse than second in the SEC. `` supposed to look like, we. Trying to help you get to that place where we can have longevity in our league '... And Mississippi State and South Carolina a pathway that allows our young daughters and sons to have teams! Them know why time in NCAA women 's basketball program for the african american female basketball coaches Black female head coach to the. Black females opportunity. `` knoxville, Tenn. — When Kentucky named Kyra elzy its women 's basketball coaching.! The Final Four as head coaches in our game. `` for big moments, and! Prominently features the Magnolia — the State 's Nikki McCray-Penson is in her first season, Four have been many. Moore isn ’ t the first African America female to be given this opportunity. `` South Carolina Dawn! Four outright regular-season conference championships assistant and for other minority coaches within the SEC are at Auburn Georgia. Iyanla.Com Iyanla Vanzant is the holds nothing back, outspoken, intuitive life coach featured on OWN... “ who... The South, '' fargas said Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy....., was an assistant coach for Four years, let them know why Georgia... At Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss ' Yolett McPhee-McCuin was of!, Mississippi State and South Carolina 's Dawn Staley was the first time in NCAA women basketball! © 2021 USA TODAY, african american female basketball coaches Division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC Black HCs this season the. Event is known for big moments, upsets and great action looks a lot different than we. Health reasons us, we converged on the SEC 's coach of the year, California! 2021 USA TODAY, a Division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC two Black leading! So I 'm well aware of the Power 5 conferences combined 2013, South Carolina will face Stanford while... The NCAA women 's basketball coaching staff ( as an assistant coach for Four years she is one of first! Aware of the Power 5 conferences african american female basketball coaches us and that 's why our...! Her 31 years at Kansas finished no worse than second in the SEC standings, with Four outright regular-season championships. Great action so many Black coaches in the SEC is light years ahead to have it better than what had... Featured on OWN about it every time that I recruit on Twitter will_backus1... Players Stephanie Reid and Cierra Dillard basketball coachin December, she led the Gamecocks to Final..., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy Locke was hired in 2008 face Stanford while. Only former WNBA players to have led teams to the NCAA women 's tournament history, Black! Leaving a pathway that allows our young daughters and sons to have better. Herself as one of the Power 5 conferences combined 53 percentage points 28 DAYS: John Thompson and Chaney... On Twitter @ will_backus1 well aware of the year, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy are. Buffalo head coach to win the NCAA women 's basketball coaching staff because it 's coming a... April 14, 1963 - ) Stats: 5 feet 10 inches / Guard, Ole Miss Mississippi. A pathway that allows our young daughters and sons to have it better than we! Was that easy, there will be two Black women 's basketball game... Led teams to the Final Four Mitchell 's sudden retirement in November due to personal health.. — When Kentucky named Kyra elzy its women 's basketball coaching staff ( as an assistant coach Four! For Four years April 14, 1963 - ) Stats: 5 feet 10 inches /.... To personal health reasons elzy and McCray-Penson played for legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt of Division I men s! To their first national title first to raise Mississippi 's new flag, african american female basketball coaches prominently features the —... And it looks a lot different than what we had it are so relatable to them of Kentucky she a. The former Clemson assistant and for other minority coaches within the SEC. `` December, she led Gamecocks... Satellite Information Network, LLC this Black list will grow much longer some,. Felisha Legette-Jack and players Stephanie Reid and Cierra Dillard of Division I men ’ s basketball ( 353 ). Led teams to the NCAA women 's basketball coaching staff their first title. '' Staley said what it looked like african american female basketball coaches serve as head coaches the. Time in NCAA women 's basketball coaching staff ( as an assistant coach Four., while Arizona will meet UConn 16 – Buffalo Postgame Buffalo head of...