OXFORD — After five straight years of NCAA tournament appearances and Western Athletic Conference championships at Fresno State University, Adrian Wiggins is ready to move to the Southeastern Conference.
At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the University of Mississippi will officially introduce Wiggins as its next women’s basketball coach.
“I want to thank Ole Miss for the opportunity to lead this storied program,” Wiggins said. “This is a team that has been to 10 Sweet 16s and five Elite Eights, and I am excited to take on the challenge of returning the Rebels to that level. I am proud of what we accomplished at Fresno, and I look forward to reaching even greater heights in Oxford.”
Ole Miss Executive Associate Athletics Director Lynnette Johnson chaired the search committee and said Wiggins’ track record as a proven winner was unmatched.
“I want to thank the committee for their diligent work in this process,” said Johnson, who was joined in the search by Don Cole, provost/vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Michael Thompson, senior associate AD. “We received great interest for this position, and that is a tribute to the rich tradition of women’s basketball we have at Ole Miss.
“We had an outstanding pool of candidates, but Adrian’s experience and accomplishments were simply unparalleled. What he achieved at Fresno State is spectacular, and we look forward to watching him return Ole Miss back among the nation’s elite programs.”
Ross Bjork, who was named the Rebels’ next athletics director last week, was involved in interviewing the finalists.
“Adrian has shown the ability to win at a high level on and off the court, winning 73 percent of his games while achieving great success academically and in the community,” Bjork said. “He struck me with his unique story of not taking anything for granted. He has the type of personality people gravitate towards, and I love the passion he has for those things we hold most important in college athletics.”
Fresno State made its fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance and recorded at least 20 wins for the sixth consecutive season under Wiggins in 2011-12. While registering a program-best 28 wins, the Bulldogs claimed a piece of the WAC regular-season title for the fifth straight year and the WAC tournament title for the fourth time in five seasons.
In his seven-plus seasons as head coach, the two-time WAC Coach of the Year has amassed a 175-66 record and 92-18 record in WAC games. He is the only Fresno State coach in the 45-year history not to have a losing season. He averaged 25 wins per season.
Before being named head coach, Wiggins served as Fresno State’s top assistant from 2002-05.
Prior to Fresno State, Wiggins served as the head coach at Cameron University, a Division II school in Lawton, Okla., from 2000-2002.
Wiggins began his coaching career at Lawton High School, where he served as an assistant coach from 1996-97. Wiggins was promoted to head coach the following year at Lawton High, serving as the Wolverines’ skipper for two seasons before moving to collegiate coaching career with Cameron.
A 1995 graduate of Cameron, Wiggins received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and was a four-year member of the Aggie baseball squad. He also received a master’s degree in Alternative Studies from CU in 2001.
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