photo by Mike Andrick

Assistant Athletic Director Beatrice Crane welcomes new women's coach Royce Chadwick with the customary green jacket Wednesday at the press conference.

Women's basketball coach named

by MICHAEL S. ADAMS and CHRIS R. McLAUGHLIN
The Parthenon

The Royce Chadwick era in Marshall University women's basketball history has officially begun.

Marshall University Director of Athletics Lance West announced Wednesday in a press conference that Chadwick will succeed Julienne Simpson as head coach. Chadwick was signed to a five-year contract for $90,000 base salary per year. According to West, Chadwick was chosen over 100 applicants.

Chadwick took a pay cut to come to Marshall. For the 2000-2001 season, Chadwick made $103,187 at Stephen F. Austin University in Nagodoches, Texas, according to The Pine Log, Stephen F. Austin's student newspaper.

"He has a five-year contract because this is a program that hasn't done well and will take time to develop," President Dan Angel said.

Marshall decided on March 5 not to renew Simpson's contract following the Thundering Herd's 2000-2001 season. Marshall finished the season in sixth place in the Mid-American Conference East Division with a 10-18 record overall and a 4-12 record in conference play.

"We are ecstatic to have such a proven leader for our women's basketball program," West said. "We needed the fit. [Chadwick] has all the characteristics we were looking for."

Chadwick brings a 573-176 career record with him to Marshall, including stints at Howard College [1989-1994], where he was Athletic Director and women's basketball coach; Sam Houston State [1986-1989] and Panhandle State in Oklahoma [1984-1986]. and most recently at Stephen F. Austin University.

While at Stephen F. Austin, Chadwick compiled an overall record of 173-44 with seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the NCAA "Sweet 16" in 1996. He led the Lady Jacks to six Southland Conference Championships, three top 25 rankings in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, and was named 1997 Southland Conference Coach of the Year.

"I can't tell you how excited I am about the new opportunity here at Marshall," Chadwick said. "I felt as though the future of this program is unlimited. I see us as a diamond in the rough."

Although Chadwick hasn't set up a coaching staff and enters a program where all scholarships are committed, he hopes to have his staff assembled shortly.

"All my former staff members are being entertained for coaching positions at other schools," Chadwick said. "I am trying to convince them to join me here at Marshall."

Angel, who was formerly the president of Stephen F. Austin University, played a big part in the decision to hire Chadwick. Chadwick worked with Angel while at Stephen F. Austin, prior to Angel's hiring at Marshall to succeed former President J. Wade Gilley in 2000.

"I think the fact that we worked together [at Stephen F. Austin] for six years had a lot to do with his decision to come here," Angel said. "He wants to be at an institution that wants women's basketball to excel."

Chadwick said he knows that the level of competition in the MAC is a lot tougher than of the Southland Conference which contains Lamar University, Southwest Texas State University, McNessee State University and Sam Houston State. He has coached against 2001 MAC Tournament Champions Toledo while with the Lady Jacks and knows the conference is a step up.

"The level of play in the MAC is much better than where I was," he said. "We can be competitive with great defense. I have never had a team that didn't guard."

Marshall loses four seniors from this years team, including leading scorer Toni Patillo. Some key returnees include freshman Catie Knable and sophomore Amy Reed.

Knable said the team is excited to get Chadwick as head coach.

"We just met him [today] and he seems like a great guy and a hard worker. That's what we are looking for," Chadwick said. "Every coach has a different coaching style. That is the biggest thing to adjust to his coaching style. We are ready to work hard and do what he asks of us."

Chadwick earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting and math from Southwestern Oklahoma State in 1980 and later earned a master's degree in business education from that school in 1982. He and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Kasi (13) and Kelsi (10).

Editors note: Some information in this report was obtained from The Pine Log, the student newspaper of Stephen F. Austin University.