LOUISIANA TECH
Techster History
Record: 148-45 (.766) Head Coach: Sonja Hogg (1974-1980). Conference Titles: no conference affiliation. NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (1978-79/AIAW; 1979-80/AIAW). Kodak All-American Selections: 1 (Pam Kelly, 1979-80). Wade Trophy Winners: 0. Final Fours: 2 (1978-79/AIAW; 1979-80/AIAW). National Championship Titles: 0
1975
Louisiana Tech embarked on its new adventure Jan. 7, 1975, when the 12-member Lady Techster squad under the direction of Coach Sonja Hogg lost to Southeastern Louisiana 59-55 at Memorial Gym in Ruston. The Lady Techsters would rebound and post the school’s first ever victory Jan. 24, when Tech downed Louisiana State University
97-83 in Memorial Gym. Tech eventually finished the regular season 11-7 before splitting four games at the Louisiana AIAW State Tournament. Tech’s season ended with a two-point defeat to McNeese State at the tournament, but the foundation had been set for years to come. Statistical Leaders: Belinda Jones, 22.5 ppg; LaVerne Henderson, 15.6 rpg (still school record) Honors: Mickie DeMoss — All-Louisiana
1975-76
Tech’s second year of women’s basketball proved to be even better than the first as the Lady Techsters posted a 19-10 record. Tech’s 14-member roster was comprised of all Louisiana athletes with freshman Kay Ford and sophomore Mary Robertson coming from farthest away — Alexandria, La., located less than 100 miles from Ruston. Hogg’s team opened the season with two convincing wins over Ouachita Baptist and Nicholls State before dropping a 74-63 decision to Panola Junior College. On three separate occasions during the season, Tech posted four-game winning streaks. Once again the Lady Techsters earned a bid to the Louisiana AIAW State Tournament where they won two games before being ousted by LSU.
2011-12 LADY TECHSTER BASKETBALL
1974-1980
YTLA ISR TECH EVINU
When Louisiana Tech President F. Jay Taylor appointed physical education instructor Sonja Hogg as the first head coach in the history of the Lady Techsters women’s basketball program in 1973, very few people ever dreamed it was the birth of one of the premier programs in the country - but history proves this to be a fact. “There was no way to expect the outpouring of devotion when it all started back in 1974,” Hogg said. “Of course, we couldn’t really envision the scope and magnitude of what might be accomplished by this program, either.” Hogg and Taylor were staples in the program’s early success, and the addition of a young Leon Barmore as an assistant in 1977 and eventually the head coach in 1982 only strengthened an already dominating Lady Techsters program. After 20 years as head coach of Tech, Barmore retired Aug. 22, 2002, as the winningest coach percentage wise in the history of collegiate basketball -- men’s or women’s -- with an incredible mark of 576-87 (.869). One day after Barmore’s announcement, Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Jim Oakes named Kurt Budke as the third head coach in the illustrious history of Lady Techster basketball. Budke responded by leading the Lady Techsters to a 31-3 record and the Sweet 16 of the 2003 NCAA Tournament in his first year. Following the season, Budke departed Tech and President Dan Reneau and Athletic Director Jim Oakes along with the Tech Athletic Council decided to promote six-year assistant coach Chris Long as the fourth head coach in the program’s history. Long’s first season was a success as he was named the WAC Coach of the Year after leading Tech to a 26-5 mark and the program’s 25th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Former Kodak All-American, Wade Trophy winner and WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon was promoted from associate head coach to the fifth head coach in the program’s history in April of 2009 after she guided the Lady Techsters to a 9-2 mark over the final 11 games of the 2008-09 season and a share of the WAC regular season title. This past year she led the Lady Techsters back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in two years as Tech captured the WAC regular season title with a 15-1 record. The Lady Techsters 66-59 win over Nevada in the WAC Tournament semifinals also marked the 1000th win in program history as Tech joined Tennessee as the only two programs to reach the milestone. Heading into its 38th season, Louisiana Tech is still considered one of the top five women’s basketball programs in the history of the game, and rightly so. The numbers tell the story. No one can argue the incredible success this mid-major school has seen on the women’s basketball front over the years. The stories are numerous and the memories are various - however, the results have always been the same ... a winning tradition.
Statistical Leaders: Kay Ford, 18.5 ppg; Belinda Jones, 13.4 rpg Honors: Ford, Mandy Warren, DeMoss — All-Louisiana
www.LATechSports.com
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