TCU became the first power conference program to announce it will be searching for a new head coach in its offseason as the school announced in late February that Raegan Pebley would be stepping down following the conclusion of her ninth season with the Horned Frogs. On Friday night, TCU’s season ended with a loss in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals.
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Historically, this hasn’t been a destination job, but mid-major coaches who want a shot at the power conference level understand there are only so many openings each year and there’s a benefit to taking swings at available opportunities. Sitting power conference coaches might see the job as an opportunity in a recruiting-rich territory at a school that might be able to spend some money. Though Pebley’s salary isn’t publicly available because TCU is private, it sounds as though TCU is willing to invest in the position, spending at least $600,000 (if not more) on the right candidate, said one person familiar with women’s basketball coaching contracts, who is not authorized to discuss salaries publicly and was granted anonymity.
Here’s the brass tacks: TCU hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2010 (though, the Horned Frogs would’ve made the 2020 tourney when they finished second in the Big 12). They haven’t won a game in the tournament since 2006 and have never advanced past the second round. The Horned Frogs are coming off an 8-23 regular season that produced just one conference-season victory.
But recent shifts in the college basketball landscape make the TCU job a bit more attractive. While Iowa State is steady and remains a perennial league contender, there’s now space at the top of the Big 12 for new teams to step in with Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC. Baylor suffered its worst season since 2000 this season, totaling just 19 regular-season wins and Kansas is building, though not established yet. As it sits now, no team outside of Iowa State has a 20-yard head start in this race.
From a recruiting perspective, the state of Texas is always going to produce top talent. In the last four classes, 39 top-100 players have come from the state (though only 18 have stayed in state for college). TCU managed to sign three of these players, including two top-100 players in the incoming 2023 class — point guard Victoria Flores and wing Jade Clack. But the Big 12 footprint extends beyond Texas and into the Midwest (and potentially farther depending on which schools join to replace Texas and Oklahoma).
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A coach who can recruit players, utilize the transfer portal and develop talent could perform well there as the women’s basketball landscape shifts, allowing for new powers to emerge in the top third of the Big 12.
Lucky for TCU, there are quite a few coaches out there who fit that bill. Here’s who TCU should pursue:
Toyelle Wilson, SMU head coach
In 2021, Wilson took over an SMU program that had experienced just two winning seasons since 2010. During her first year, the Mustangs went 14-14. This season, they went 16-11. It’s not a national title turnaround, but it’s the kind of foundation-building sign athletic directors like to see when looking to hire (especially where another foundation will need to be built). Wilson came to SMU from Michigan, where she was an assistant under Kim Barnes Arico for two seasons, but the bulk of her coaching career has been in Texas. She was an assistant at Prairie View A&M from 2006-10 and took over as head coach from 2010-13, following Cynthia Cooper-Dyke’s departure. In her three seasons as head coach, the Panthers won the SWAC every year and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. Wilson then spent six seasons on the sideline with Kim Mulkey at Baylor. That knowledge of Texas recruiting, the established relationships with schools and coaches in the region, and prior experience as a Big 12 assistant should put Wilson high on TCU’s list.
Would she leave Pullman for Fort Worth? I don’t know. Do they need to call her? Absolutely.
When the Texas native took over Washington State in 2018, the Cougs hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991 (which was also the program’s only appearance). It took her three seasons to get Washington State into the tournament, and this year — her fifth at the helm — the Cougs produced their first 20-win season in program history and delivered the first Pac-12 tournament title in school history to secure a third consecutive trip to the Big Dance. Coaches across the Pac-12 understand how tough of an environment Pullman is to recruit, and yet, Ethridge — The Athletic’s coach of the year — has delivered. She has developed talents like Charlisse Leger-Walker from Pac-12 freshman of the year in 2021 to first-team all-conference this year, as well as Bella Murekatete, the 2022 Pac-12 co-most improved player of the year.
Congrats to @KamieEthridge on being named National Coach of the Year by @TheAthletic!!!
She is the first WSU Women’s Basketball Coach to win a National Head Coach of the Year award by any national publication!!!
📰 | https://t.co/1pLbH4eMiW#GoCougs | #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/nV9lWnVM7D
— WSU Cougar Women’s 🏀 (@WSUCougarWBB) March 9, 2023
Ethridge made $450,000 in 2021-22 (third lowest among Pac-12 women’s hoops coaches) and signed a contract extension with Washington State last season that would keep her through the 2027-28 season. Especially considering many assume she’ll get a call from every opening this season and next, TCU would need to open the purse to bring Ethridge home — and to the state where she won a national title as a player with the Longhorns in 1986 — but she would be a home run for the Horned Frogs.
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Mark Kellogg, Stephen F. Austin head coach
There’s no active Division I basketball coach in the state of Texas who has won more games at their current school than Kellogg, so he certainly should be high on TCU’s list. He is in his seventh season at SFA, and the Ladyjacks have won at least 23 games in every one of them — that’s a difficult feat for any coach in any conference, especially one making a jump from the Southland Conference to the WAC. He led the program to the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons — the program’s first appearances since 2006. The majority of his rosters have been players from Texas and Oklahoma, so he would be able to hit the ground running from a recruiting perspective. Kellogg’s contract with SFA runs through the 2025-26 season, so he’d require some kind of a buyout, but it would be significantly less than Ethridge’s (and easier to stomach for TCU).
(Top photo of Toyelle Wilson: Gareth Patterson / Associated Press)
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