Kim Stephens has accepted head coaching job at Marshall

[JDonAB92]

https://twitter.com/jakegriffithpxp/...10160928903171

[Scrub]

The timing of the announcement is downright criminal, given that Stephens is in the midst of having to prepare her charges at GSU for a Final Four game. This (i.e., next year) is not what those young women need to have on their minds while they try to win a championship this year.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The timing of the announcement is downright criminal, given that Stephens is in the midst of having to prepare her charges at GSU for a Final Four game. This (i.e., next year) is not what those young women need to have on their minds while they try to win a championship this year.

Well, to be fair, it sounds like she did ask Marshall to hold the announcement until her season was over.

While the school hasn't formally announced it, it sure did leak pretty fast. Probably not the best first impression to make on your new coach.

Hell, her players may not mind. She's probably taking half of them with her.

She'll be hanging out at Fat Patty's soon.

[JDonAB92]

The timing is awful. The school hasn't announced it mind you. But they had an emergency board of governors meeting today to approve athletic personnel matters. Well, it doesn't take Einstein to figure out that they were probably going over what her contract would look like. They didn't mention names in the BOG meeting that was held at noon. But there are always flies on the wall in athletic departments that leak info and I believe this is what happened. Griffith used to broadcast all of their basketball games and still did some this year.

I also think that they wanted to have an emergency meeting to make sure to get her. There are some open jobs ie WVU. The WVU AD was interviewed yesterday about their open women's position and he even named Kim Stephens as a candidate which is also kind of odd. Kim has a good name out there with girls' AAU coaches and such. She is not a novice.

People forget that she was offered the Coastal Carolina and Buffalo job last April and turned it down. CC went with a D2 coach at Lander as their HC. Buffalo hired former University of Charleston head women's coach Becky Burke who was just at UC a few years ago. Word is that Ike Morris is going to support her financially at Marshall as well.

[JDonAB92]

She is also engaged to Caldwell who is the men's head coach. Caldwell is a native of Mullens which is where the D'Antoni's are from. Dan is the men's head coach at Marshall and Mike D'Antoni donates big coin to Marshall. I would figure that Caldwell will join one of the staff's there I assume or may remain in Glenville.

[Stanger86]

I'm guessing the timing had at least something to do with the WVU job opening up

[GSCfan1275]

Marshall made it official today.

[BigGreenTruck]

I'm guessing the timing had at least something to do with the WVU job opening up

The announcement was made by Jake Griffith who graduated from Marshall in '22. And done some ESPN+ games for Marshall but as of right now has no ties or affilation to Marshall or the AD office. Do most Marshall fans wish he would have held off, yes. But you can't blame anyone in this age of social media to try and be the first to break a story, it happens all the time.

The Marshall job opened up on March 10th when former HC Tony Kemper accepted the HC position at Central Arkansas the school he come from 11 years ago as an asst to newly hired HC Matt Daniel. From everything Ive been told Kim was already locked up as HC by March 14th. The WVU job didn't open up until March 18th.

[JDonAB92]

Just a follow up:

Marshall University under 1st-year HC Kim Caldwell won both the regular season Sun Belt championship and now the Sun Belt Tournament championship. She was named coach of the year in the conference after her team was predicted to finish 9th in the pre-season poll. They lost one game in conference this season. Marshall heads to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.

Former Shepherd player & Frankfort, WV native Abby Beeman was named Conference Player of the Year and Tournament MVP.

[Scrub]

Just a follow up:

Marshall University under 1st-year HC Kim Caldwell won both the regular season Sun Belt championship and now the Sun Belt Tournament championship. She was named coach of the year in the conference after her team was predicted to finish 9th in the pre-season poll. They lost one game in conference this season. Marshall heads to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1997.

Former Shepherd player & Frankfort, WV native Abby Beeman was named Conference Player of the Year and Tournament MVP.

That's fantastic. Good for Kim! I'm really glad to see her succeed on the bigger stage.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

That's fantastic. Good for Kim! I'm really glad to see her succeed on the bigger stage.

The Herd best open up the checkbook. She may have some P5 schools come calling very quickly. She's a star and the perfect age.

[GSCfan1275]

All of Pioneer Nation is extremely proud of her!!!

[Bballfan]

And in her absence Glenville State really took a step back. To not even make the tournament after winning a national championship and returning to the final four a year later had to be a disappointment for them.

[BigGreenTruck]

The Herd best open up the checkbook. She may have some P5 schools come calling very quickly. She's a star and the perfect age.

Ive done some digging and only 11 WBB programs pay their coach over a million dollars. The highest paid WBB coach is Geno Auriemma at UCONN at 2.9 million. The avg WBB coach in all of DI is 325K and in mid-majors (I detest that term) is 87K. Kim was already making more than that.

Coach Kim has said that she didn't entertain multiple job offers the previous two years (More than 1 P5) before accepting the Marshall job. She also said the Marshall job was her dream job. I think we might see a new contract in her hand much like with Chris Grassie after the national championship. Chris Grassie had a new contract 9 days later and took his salary from 122K to the highest paid DI soccer coach in the nation at 375,750 a year. We can't pay like UConn or South Carolina but I think we can come close to the avg DI salary. Either way I think it's going to take the right program with the right set of circumstances to pull her away. Her other reason for taking the Marshall job is she said she wanted to coach in the state of WV.

[IUP24]

Ive done some digging and only 11 WBB programs pay their coach over a million dollars. The highest paid WBB coach is Geno Auriemma at UCONN at 2.9 million. The avg WBB coach in all of DI is 325K and in mid-majors (I detest that term) is 87K. Kim was already making more than that.

Coach Kim has said that she didn't entertain multiple job offers the previous two years (More than 1 P5) before accepting the Marshall job. She also said the Marshall job was her dream job. I think we might see a new contract in her hand much like with Chris Grassie after the national championship. Chris Grassie had a new contract 9 days later and took his salary from 122K to the highest paid DI soccer coach in the nation at 375,750 a year. We can't pay like UConn or South Carolina but I think we can come close to the avg DI salary. Either way I think it's going to take the right program with the right set of circumstances to pull her away. Her other reason for taking the Marshall job is she said she wanted to coach in the state of WV.

Marshall is your dream job until one of the heavy hitters of D1 women's college basketball comes calling. And they will come calling.