Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt announced Monday the hiring of Marlene Stollings as the seventh head coach of Lady Raider Basketball.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome Coach Stollings to the Texas Tech Athletic Family,” Hocutt said. “As a head coach, she has experienced tremendous success and has a proven process to return our Lady Raider program back to great heights.”
Stollings comes to Lubbock after four seasons at the University of Minnesota. Stollings guided the Gophers to a 82-47 (.636) record, three 20-win seasons and three postseason berths, including a second round NCAA appearance this season.
“I am very proud and honored to be named the head coach at Texas Tech and to be a part of the Big 12 Conference,” Stollings said. “I want to thank President Lawrence Schovanec and Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt for this incredible opportunity.
“Texas Tech has a storied tradition of success and I am eager to return this program to national prominence. We will play a fun, up-tempo style of basketball that student-athletes will enjoy and the fans will find exciting to watch. This is a thrilling day for me and my family, and I cannot wait to coach and recruit ‘Fearless Champions’.”
A press conference to formally introduce Stollings is scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT in the City Bank Room at the United Supermarkets Arena. Fans are welcome and encouraged to attend. Free parking is available in the north, south and west arena lots with seating available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors will open at 3:15 p.m. CT.
This season, Stollings’ squad reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years and the 10th time in program history. The team broke several school records including points (2,803), points per game (84.9), field goals made (997), and fewest turnovers (412) in a season. Also set a new school record for most 3-pointers made (297) and field goal attempts (2,304). The Gophers tied the school record with four wins over top-25 teams this year.
Last season, Stollings led the Golden Gophers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to No. 2-seed Oregon. Minnesota marked its 10th appearances in the tournament and finished the season with a 24-9 record, its most wins and best winning percentage (.727) in 13 years.
In 2014-15, Stollings had one of the best seasons of any first-year head coach in Minnesota history. She led the Golden Gophers to a 23-10 record (11-7 Big Ten) and to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in six years. Big Ten Player of the Year Amanda Zahui B. was chosen second in the WNBA Draft, and fellow All-Big Ten selection Shae Kelley was picked 35th.
Minnesota went 20-12 (11-7 Big Ten) in 2015-16 and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. For the first time in seven years, the Golden Gophers turned in back-to-back winning conference records. Rachel Banham compiled a prolific senior season as the consensus Big Ten Player of the Year, a Wooden Award top-five finalist and the fourth pick in the WNBA Draft.
Prior to taking over the reins at Minnesota, Stollings was the head coach at VCU for two seasons. While there, she led the Rams to a 33-29 record. During the 2013-14 season, the team posted a 22-10 overall record and earned a berth in the 2014 WNIT. VCU’s 22 wins were the third-most in program history and gave the Rams just their sixth 20-win season in school history.
Before VCU, Stollings led a one-year resurgence at Winthrop University in 2011-12, where the Eagles posted just their second winning season (18-13) in the last 26 years of the program. She was selected 2012 Big South Conference Coach of the Year in her first year as a collegiate head coach.
Stollings served as an assistant at Ole Miss from 2007-10 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2010-11. Her illustrious coaching career includes stops at Saint Louis (2005-07), Wright State (2003-04) and New Mexico State (2001-03).
Stollings began her collegiate coaching career at Jacksonville as an assistant coach (2000-01).
Prior to starting her coaching career, Stollings played one season professionally for Club ABB Baden in Switzerland. She was later invited to the WNBA’s Utah Starzz training camp in 1999.
Stollings, who was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2015, began her collegiate playing career at Ohio State University. She was a two-time scholar athlete for the Buckeyes. Stollings then transferred to Ohio University where she earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors after finishing eighth in the nation and leading the league in scoring at 22.9 points per game her senior year.
A native of Beaver, Ohio, Stollings graduated in 1998 from Ohio University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing and a bachelor of science degree in sport industry.
http://texastech.com/news/2018/4/9/marlene-stollings-named-lady-raiders-head-coach.aspx
