Carrie Daniels, a member of the 1996 Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team ? which participated in the University's first NCAA tournament ? and a seven-year assistant at Western Kentucky, was named women’s basketball head coach, Friday, at a press conference on the Austin Peay campus.
Daniels replaces Andy Blackston, who resigned in May to become the athletics director and boy’s basketball coach at Madison Academy in Madison, Ala., after leading the Lady Govs to a 15-13 mark this past season.
“We had four excellent candidates for the position,” APSU Athletics Director Dave Loos said. “But when meeting with the committee and others in the process, Carrie emerged as the best fit for this position.
“Carrie the basketball player we all remember has now evolved into a very capable basketball coach, someone we believe is ready to lead her own program. We are excited about Carrie returning to Austin Peay.
“Her knowledge of the school, the program and this part of the country should allow her to hit the ground running as far as recruiting is concerned.”
Daniels, a 1996 graduate of Austin Peay, has been an assistant coach at Western Kentucky the past seven seasons (1999-2006) and worked primarily with the team’s guards, prepared the program’s defensive strategy and coordinated recruiting efforts. She served as an assistant with three different coaches at Western Kentucky and was a member of post-season appearances in each of her seven seasons, including NCAA tournament appearances following the 1999-2000 and 2002-2003 seasons and a WNIT semifinal appearance in 2005-2006. During her time in Bowling Green, she helped the Lady Toppers record a 146-78 (.652) win-loss mark.
The 33-year old Daniels joined the Western Kentucky coaching staff after serving three seasons (1996-99) as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, with former APSU head coach LaDonna Wilson-McClain.
Daniels joined the coaching ranks after a brilliant collegiate career at Austin Peay, where she was a four-year starter (1991-1996) while playing under her maiden name, Carrie Thompson. At the time of her graduation, she was only the second player in school history to compile 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists and 200 steals during her career. She earned the 1996 Joy Award given to the top senior athlete at Austin Peay. She helped lead the Lady Govs to their first NCAA Tournament appearance as a senior in 1996, averaging 10.3 points per game.
In 1995, she received the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics Wilma Rudolph Award, a national award presented to honor student athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics, after missing most of the 1994-1995 season after receiving a medical redshirt for a heart ailment.
A stellar prep player at Scottsburg (Ind.) High School, Daniels earned All-America recognition from Women’s Basketball News Service after averaging 17 points, 6.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game as a senior.
Daniels is married to former Austin Peay men’s basketball player Billy Daniels and they have a three-year old son, Dalton.