Washington State University Director of Athletics Pat Chun announced Wednesday that women’s head basketball coach Kamie Ethridge has signed a contract extension keeping her in Pullman through the 2026-27 season. Ethridge’s initial contract was for six years and ran through the 2023-24 campaign.
Despite playing through the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-21 campaign for WSU Women’s Basketball will be remembered as arguably the greatest season in program history, as the Cougars earned their first top-25 ranking ever and made a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three decades.
“Kamie has rejuvenated our women’s basketball program in a very short time and we are fortunate to know she will be leading the Cougars for many years to come,” said Chun. “Competing in the best women’s basketball conference in the nation, she has elevated WSU to the national stage and we are excited to see the upward trajectory of this program continue.”
Washington State ended its third season under Ethridge at 12-12, marking the first time the program has posted a .500-or-better overall record since the 2014-15 campaign. The Cougars knocked off three top-25 teams in 2020-21, which included a 67-63 win over No. 5 UCLA in Pullman. The win over the Bruins marked the program’s first victory over a top-five opponent. WSU also defeated the eventual national runner-up Arizona in Beasley Coliseum, as the Cougs knocked off the No. 7 Wildcats, 71-69 in overtime, in Beasley Coliseum.
“I sincerely appreciate the opportunity Director of Athletics Pat Chun and President Kirk Schulz have afforded me to continue to represent this tremendous university as head coach of Washington State’s women’s basketball program,” said Ethridge. “I am extremely proud of the historic season we just completed and am proud to be representing Coug Nation as we head into the future. I love it here. I love what it means to be a Coug. I look forward to recruiting future Cougs who want to help us build upon the amazing energy and momentum surrounding our program. Our hope is, with our fans back in Beasley, we will continue to take this program to new heights year after year! Go Cougs!!”
Washington State won nine Pac-12 games during the 2020-21 season, which is tied for the second-most Pac-12 wins in a single season in program history. Academically, the Cougars posted their highest cumulative grade point average in program history in 2020-21 with a team GPA 3.629. Washington State was selected to the 2020-21 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll for the first time in program history, posting the 20th-best team GPA in all of NCAA Division I women’s basketball that season.
Ethridge has recruited elite talent from all over the globe during her tenure at Washington State, which includes New Zealand native Charlisse Leger-Walker, who was a 2020-21 USBWA All-American Honorable Mention selection and the 2020-21 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. WSU players such as Ula Motuga (Australia), Johanna Teder (Estonia), Bella Murekatete (Rwanda), Krystal Leger-Walker (New Zealand) Jessica Clarke (Canada) and Tara Wallack (Canada) have gone on to play for their national team programs.
Ethridge was named the head coach of WSU women’s basketball on April 15, 2018. She came to Pullman following four seasons as the head coach at the University of Northern Colorado, where she posted a combined 83 victories and led the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in her final season.
