28 years, four coaches, zero titles: How can the next women’s basketball coach snap this slump?
The University of Memphis fired Alex Simmons after three years as the Tigers’ head coach. (Ronnie Archer/Bahamas Visual Services via AP file)
Women’s college basketball fans might remember what life was like for Memphis’ program in the mid-to-late 1990s.
The college sports landscape looked vastly different then.
Conference alignment made more geographic sense. Players were not permitted to be paid as they are now, and Memphis shared Conference USA membership with Louisville.
In fact, the Memphis women’s basketball team had celebrated a 79-75 victory over the Cardinals to win the 1998 Conference USA Tournament. It was the Tigers’ second conference title in three years, which qualified them for their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance under late former coach Joye Lee-McNelis.
Twenty-eight years and four head coaches later, Memphis has yet to win another conference title or return to the Big Dance. The Tigers just finished their third consecutive losing season, becoming one of just three American Conference teams to miss the conference tournament.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Memphis Tigers Women's Basketball Madison Griggs Wes Shappley Thomas Jones Alex Simmons Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Frank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.