NCAAW Need to Know Coaches

With the WNBA season over and the NCAAW season on the rise, there has been much discussion on this upcoming season. Many discussions during this offseason include players opting out, transfers, and coaching changes. Likewise, several coaching changes occurred during the offseason as well as many returning coaches anticipating the starting date of their season. The NCAA announced the start date will be November 25th. Let us take a look into the NCAAW Need to Know Coaches heading into the 2020-21 season.

5. Oregon State’s Scott Rueck

First off, Oregon State’s Scott Rueck is a coach that should be discussed more. This year he earned the honor of 2020 Naismith Coach of the Year Semi-Finalist. Before the NCAA tournament was canceled, Oregon State was ranked 14th. However, Oregon State had a 23-9 record whilst playing in a competitive conference of the PAC-12 with other ranked opponents such as Oregon University, University of Arizona, Stanford University, and UCLA. They were heading to the 2020 NCAA tournament after their 2019 tournament run got cut short after the third round. Rueck is an excellent coach and you can expect the Beavers to have a good season ahead of them.

4. UCLA’s Cori Close

Secondly, UCLA’s Cori Close is a coach that is not being talked about enough. Under Coach Close, UCLA played a historic 2019-20 season. UCLA won all 13 of its first games setting a program record for consecutive wins at the start of a season. In addition to this historic start, Close led her team to victory over sixth overall Stanford. As well as leading her team to historic wins and a 26-5 record and 10th overall. The Bruins were set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament before the cancellation. The Bruins and Coach Close are a great pair in a competitive conference like the PAC-12. This team under Close has a bright future ahead.

3. NC State’s Wes Moore

Thirdly, NC State’s Wes Moore has been laying low on people’s radars. With Moore as HC, this past season the Pack had huge wins over ranked Maryland and Florida State. Moore also coached the team to the 2020 ACC Tournament. This NC State team was ranked 8th overall before the cancellation of the rest of the season.  The Pack’s 14 conference wins breaks the record for the most conference wins in a single season in program history. Under Moore, this team has had two consecutive Sweet 16 berths. The Pack led by Wes Moore has a bright future ahead as they progressively are improving while maintaining a low profile.

2. University of Arizona’s Adia Barnes

Another underrated standout coach is the University of Arizona’s Adia Barnes who had a stellar professional basketball career and now is a successful coach. Barnes is the current all-time leading scorer for Arizona and then had a successful WNBA career before going into coaching. The Wildcats under Barnes were set to play in their first NCAA tournament before the cancellation since 2005. Ranked 12th, this team was anticipated to host the first two rounds. The Wildcats had a 24-7 record, a tie for the all-time wins in school history. This team is yet another competitive team in the PAC-12. Look out for Barnes and the Wildcats because they are coming to play this season.

1. Mississippi State’s Nikki McCray

Last, but not least is Nikki McCray. This was a new move for the Bulldogs during the offseason after former head coach Vic Shaefer took a job at the University of Texas. This may be McCray’s first season at MSST, but she has plenty of experience in both coaching and playing in the SEC. She played at the University of Tennessee before going to the WNBA. She was an assistant coach at Western Kentucky before taking an assistant coaching job under former USA basketball teammate, Dawn Staley. Nikki McCray spent many years working under Staley from 2008-17 where she helped coach the Gamecocks to their first championship in 2017.

Then McCray went on to a head coaching job at Old Dominion, now she was picked up by the Bulldogs. McCray has many years of experience in the SEC and coaching that will allow MSST to continue to be a huge threat. Do not count McCray and the Bulldogs out just because they have a new coach. The Bulldogs are up for the fight with McCray. This was my NCAAW Need to Know Coaches and McCray is at the top of this list.

Thank you for reading NCAAW Coaches You Need to Know. Make sure to follow my Twitter @aislynjowers for more of my content and follow @beyondwsports. Read my latest article The Gold Mamba: Jewell Loyd. Make sure to keep a lookout for my next article. Be sure to check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women and their sport.

Make sure to shop all things WNBA merch here.