Post by nealbradley on Mar 29, 2007 8:13:12 GMT -5
UCF will introduce Joi Williams-Felton, a former USF player who coached the past four seasons at Murray State, as its new women's basketball coach today.
She replaces Gail Striegler, who resigned March 5 after eight seasons.
Williams-Felton apparently interviewed in Orlando over the weekend with UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble. A clerk at the Radisson Hotel near the UCF campus confirmed that Williams-Felton checked out Monday.
Tribble, asked earlier this month about what he was looking for in his next women's coach, said he wanted somebody with a proven track record to grow programs.
While Striegler was successful during the Knights' run in the Atlantic Sun Conference, she couldn't get UCF over the hump in Conference USA. As the Knights' basketball programs prepare to move into a new 10,000-seat arena, expectations are higher than ever.
"I think that is important to establish linkage to great programs that are playing at the highest level," Tribble said earlier this month.
Williams-Felton is a former assistant at Florida, where she worked under Carol Ross before moving on to Clemson as an assistant. She was hired at Murray State, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, in March 2003.
Williams-Felton, a Jacksonville native who starred at Bishop Kenny High, was 54-61 in her stint at Murray State, but she takes over at UCF on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in Racers history. They were 21-10 this season -- the school's first 20-win season in nearly 20 years -- and earned a trip to the Women's NIT after losing in the OVC tournament final.
Before Williams-Felton's arrival, Murray State had posted only six winning seasons in its history and hadn't had a winning season since 1989-90. The Racers' only previous postseason experience came in 1989, in the WNIT.
Williams-Felton was the recruiting coordinator at Florida and Clemson, and among her signees at UF were DeLisha Milton-Jones, Merlakia Jones and Murriel Page.
UCF is losing senior standouts Francine Houston and Celeste Hudson, but Williams-Felton inherits a recruiting class that was among 16 listed as an honorable-mention selection in Blue Star Basketball's annual ranking of the top 50 classes.
She replaces Gail Striegler, who resigned March 5 after eight seasons.
Williams-Felton apparently interviewed in Orlando over the weekend with UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble. A clerk at the Radisson Hotel near the UCF campus confirmed that Williams-Felton checked out Monday.
Tribble, asked earlier this month about what he was looking for in his next women's coach, said he wanted somebody with a proven track record to grow programs.
While Striegler was successful during the Knights' run in the Atlantic Sun Conference, she couldn't get UCF over the hump in Conference USA. As the Knights' basketball programs prepare to move into a new 10,000-seat arena, expectations are higher than ever.
"I think that is important to establish linkage to great programs that are playing at the highest level," Tribble said earlier this month.
Williams-Felton is a former assistant at Florida, where she worked under Carol Ross before moving on to Clemson as an assistant. She was hired at Murray State, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, in March 2003.
Williams-Felton, a Jacksonville native who starred at Bishop Kenny High, was 54-61 in her stint at Murray State, but she takes over at UCF on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in Racers history. They were 21-10 this season -- the school's first 20-win season in nearly 20 years -- and earned a trip to the Women's NIT after losing in the OVC tournament final.
Before Williams-Felton's arrival, Murray State had posted only six winning seasons in its history and hadn't had a winning season since 1989-90. The Racers' only previous postseason experience came in 1989, in the WNIT.
Williams-Felton was the recruiting coordinator at Florida and Clemson, and among her signees at UF were DeLisha Milton-Jones, Merlakia Jones and Murriel Page.
UCF is losing senior standouts Francine Houston and Celeste Hudson, but Williams-Felton inherits a recruiting class that was among 16 listed as an honorable-mention selection in Blue Star Basketball's annual ranking of the top 50 classes.
