Tubbs eager to find next LU coach

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Tubbs eager to find next LU coach

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

BEAUMONT — The next Lamar University women’s basketball coach LU Athletics Director Billy Tubbs hires will certainly be one he looks at very carefully.

Tubbs said Wednesday the program is at a critical point in its history after coach Leonard Drake stepped down during the season claiming health reasons.

Assistant Coach Janet Eaton has stepped in as interim-head coach, with Tubbs reporting the position is wide open with no leading candidate.

“We are going to look at all the people who apply for several weeks and review everything,†Tubbs said. “We are going to sit down and then decide on three to five applicants who will be our finalists. We are going to interview those few and come to a conclusion. After the interview process it should be about a week before we make our decision. I am looking to have this all done around the Final Four time.â€

Whoever Tubbs and the rest of the hiring committee selects will have their work cut out for them in selecting a coach who can turn around a program which has not seen a winning season since 1994 when the Lady Cardinals were 16-12.

“Our goal is to get the best possible candidate for the job,†Tubbs said. “We want what is best for our program. This is certainly a critical time for us to turn this thing around.â€

The Lady Cardinals are currently 11-16 overall and 6-8 in Southland Conference play. Lamar is just 1-12 on the road this season.

Tubbs is also ready to see a coach who is eager and able to recruit the talented players in Southeast Texas and then expand to other regions to fill in the gaps.

“In general in any sport, your home base should be your prime base,†Tubbs explained. “Like on the men’s side, you want to get a guy like (Kendrick) Perkins. We should have him. You want the very best players in your area and then expand your area from there. A team has a lot better chance to win if they have the best players.â€

“I can honestly say I don’t know the talent level of the high school girls game in our area but that should be our foundation,†Tubbs said.

Tubbs was speaking of Beaumont Ozen star Kendrick Perkins who left straight out of high school for the NBA. Before making that decision, Perkins pledge to attend Memphis University along with fellow Ozen star Keena Young. Young is now a star player at Brigham Young University.

Currently the Lady Cardinals boast one player from the Southeast Texas area, Shaquita Coffey from Beaumont.

The Lady Cardinals’ program has seen just 13 winning seasons since starting up in 1969.

Lamar has seen its share of success at times with the 1990-91 team going 29-4 under Coach Al Barbe. That season Lamar reached the NCAA Elite Eight and were America South Conference champions. In 1990-91, the Lady Cardinals went 21-7 under Coach Liz McQuitter and won the regular season Sun Belt Conference title but failed to reach the NCAA tourney after falling in the conference tournament.

“We think we can turn this program around,†Tubbs said. “If we didn’t feel that way we would drop it. We are not happy being second best; well right now we aren’t even second best. How long will it take? Not long in my eyes. With the new person we want to see progress and continue that progress.

“The biggest thing to bring in a fan base is winning. All that goes hand and hand. Our objective is to get the best person for where we want to go and we want to win championships.â€