Raegan Pebley stepped down following the end of TCU’s season. Although her tenure ended unceremoniously with back-to-back poor finishes including a one-win Big 12 record this past season, Pebley set new expectations early in her tenure that saw the program earn postseason play four out of her first six seasons.
TCU is in position to make a very important hire with a new-look Big 12 on the horizon and a very prominent DFW recruiting landscape, one that Pebley still managed to connect with despite poor on-court results.
The First Call: Mark Kellogg – SFA head coach
It’s hard to argue that any coach at the mid-major level is more worthy of a higher-profile opportunity right now than SFA’s Mark Kellogg. The Ladyjacks have consistently been the class of Texas’ mid-major scene since he took over in 2016 and in 2020-21 were one of the best teams in the nation per every underlying metric.
SFA has notched 23 wins for seven consecutive seasons and Kellogg’s career win percentage is well over 75. He’s a proven winner at the Division II level and now even as the program entered a tough WAC scene, SFA’s remained at the top as a conference favorite
The Aspirational: Kamie Ethridge – Washington State head coach
Does Jeremiah Donati want to reestablish some Texan roots? Why not call on one of the best to ever do it from the state? Kamie Etheridge is having her best season at Wazzou where the Cougs are 23-10 and have all but clinched their third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. She had previous success at Northern Colorado and could a return to her home state be enough to sway her out of Pullman? The Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer cut her teeth playing for Jody Conradt at Texas and later joining her staff as an assistant before coaching under Deb Patterson for over 15 seasons.
The Homecoming: Ebony Gilliam – Kansas State assistant coach
Named one of the 2022 Silver Waves Media Most Impactful Assistants, the TCU legend could be just what the program needs in time of flux. Gilliam played for the program when they earned their first four tournament appearances in program history and is still sixth in scoring all-time.
She briefly served as an assistant under Jeff Mittie at her alma mater before he left for Kansas State and she followed and has remained since. She’s been in charge of recruiting, game plan and player development over her near decade-stint in Manhattan.
Out of the Box: Jason Burton – Texas A&M-Commerce head coach
A coach to keep an eye on as a rising star is Commerce’s Jason Burton. The Lions entered their first season of Division I and advanced all the way to the Southland Tournament semifinals before losing by just one possession to number-one seed Southeastern Louisiana in overtime. Burton’s team also played without its best player Dyani Robinson for much of the season finishing 10-8 in conference.
It may be too early for a leap like that, but if Texas A&M-Commerce’s steady rise under Burton at the Division II level speaks to anything, it shows that he’s a name to watch in the future.
