Cophie Anderson has been named the 12th head coach of the ORU women’s basketball program, as announced on Monday morning by Athletic Director Tim Johnson.
Dr. William M. Wilson, President of ORU, welcomed Coach Anderson to her new role saying, “Cophie Anderson has been an integral part of our coaching staff demonstrating her deep faith and dedication to fostering the growth of ORU student-athletes. Coach Anderson is a remarkable leader with a vision that extends beyond the basketball court. We anticipate under her guidance, there will be a vibrant and successful journey ahead for ORU women’s basketball.”
“Cophie Anderson stood out among another remarkable candidate pool during an extensive nation-wide search,” said Athletic Director Tim Johnson. “What the ORU women’s basketball program has done the last several years is truly incredible, and Coach Anderson has been vital to every part of the program. She has been groomed for this exact time, and we could not be more excited to see the program reach even higher. She will continue to run a program that is fun to watch and attracts elite talent. Her passion and energy are contagious and her love of ORU and its mission is palpable. The best is yet to come!”
Anderson has been promoted to head coach after acting as the associate head coach of the ORU women’s basketball program for three years. During her tenure acting as associate head coach, Cophie helped the Golden Eagles reach the WNIT in 2023 and the WBIT in 2024, eclipsing 20 wins in two of her three seasons on staff.
In 2024-25, the Golden Eagles finished the year 24-9 and were selected into the WBIT, marking consecutive 20-win seasons for the program for first time since 2010-12. She helped the Golden Eagles grow in each of her three seasons as associate head coach, winning 12 games in her first season, 21 in the second and 24 this past season, their highest win total since 1983. The squad also took down SEC foes Arkansas and Missouri. In her three seasons on staff, she has been a part of three nationally ranked scoring offenses, ranking in the top 20 in each of her three seasons and top 10 in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
During the 2023-24 season, Anderson helped coach ORU to their first 20-win season since 2011-12 and first post-season appearance since 2015. Five Golden Eagles Anderson help recruit earned Summit League post-season awards that year including Freshman of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Sixth Woman of the Year and a Summit League First Team and Second Team selection.
“I would like to thank God, President Wilson, Athletic Director Tim Johnson and his staff, my husband, Coach Musick, our staff, my family, friends, players current and past and all the prayer warriors who prayed for me during this process,” Coach Anderson said. “I couldn’t be more grateful and blessed for the opportunity to impact young women to strive and reach their level of greatness and to continue what we have built and established here at ORU. Let’s get to work and let’s go be great! EAG Up!”
Before coming to ORU, Anderson began coaching at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2009 where she was pivotal in the turnaround of the program that included seven NCAA Division II national tournament appearances and four Great American Conference Tournament Championships, including an appearance in the national title game.
The Lady Bulldogs’ best season in 2018-19 included a 35-game win streak as SWOSU advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship game before finishing as the national runner-up. Anderson has mentored five players who were named All-Americans and four GAC Players of the Year along with 27 players who have earned all-conference recognition. In her final season on staff, the team averaged 82.1 points per game, ranking third in the nation. The Lady Bulldogs ranked in the Top 10 nationally in scoring offense in seven of her nine seasons, averaging more than 80 points per game in five of those years.
As a player, Anderson was a guard/forward at Fresno State University from 2001-05. She was a three-time selection to the Western Athletic Conference All-Academic team and was selected as one of the school’s scholar athletes multiple times. At Fresno State, she was a member of two Bulldog teams that advanced to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) in 2002 and 2005. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Anderson (formerly Moore) is married to Wayne Anderson. The couple has three children, Cameron, Carringtyn and Creed.
A press conference to formally introduce Head Coach Cophie Anderson will take place on Tuesday, April 1st at 3:30 p.m. inside the Mabee Center.
Tagged with: NAIA Summit League
