Tennessee State University continues making splashes in the athletic world. Last week they announced the hiring of a genuine basketball legend as the next head coach of the women’s team. Athletic Director Dr. Mikki Allen announced the appointment of seven-time WNBA All-Star and former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Candice Dupree as the 13th head coach in program history.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to lead and coach the future of women’s basketball at Tennessee State University,” Dupree said in a statement.. “I am eager to continue building our program in alignment with the incredible culture and values embodied within the Tiger Family. It is an honor to be entrusted with upholding the tradition and legacy of TSU while embracing the evolving landscape of sports. Most importantly, I am committed to nurturing the holistic development of our student-athletes.”
Dupree played a pivotal role the past two seasons in helping develop one of the NBA’s youngest rosters, working with talents such as the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell. “Hiring Candice Dupree marks a pivotal moment in our pursuit of excellence,” Allen added. “Her legendary playing career and success as an NBA assistant coach in player development bring unmatched expertise to our women’s basketball program. We’re excited to welcome her championship mindset and global influence within the basketball community, setting the stage for unprecedented success here at Tennessee State University.”
Following her retirement from the WNBA in 2021, Dupree embarked on a new journey by participating in the NBA Coaching Development Program. She built her skills by examining scouting reports, analyzing film across various platforms, and expanding her professional network. Dupree’s initial coaching venture began at the NBA draft combine, where she led a team of prospects. Dupree’s association with the Spurs began when she served as an assistant guest coach for the Spurs’ Summer League in July 2022. Two months later, Dupree was appointed as a player development coach.
Her credentials as a player were exceptional. A star at Temple, where her coach just happened to be Dawn Staley, she was the sixth overall pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2006 draft. Dupree payed for five teams, earning recognition on the all-rookie team and seven All-Star appearances. Throughout 494 career games, Dupree averaged 14.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds. She is currently in third place all-time among WNBA players in field goals (2,842), fifth in career points (6,895), fifth in games played, and seventh in total rebounds (3,149). She also was on the 2014 Phoenix Mercury championship team. Add to those feats a Hungarian League Championship in 2019, and gold medals at the 2004 World University Games and the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cups while representing Team USA.
Frankly, she has a big job ahead. The good thing about the Lady Tigers is they’ve reached the OVC Tournament the past three years. They also won their opening round games both this season and in 2022. The not so good news is the Tennessee State women’s team hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2015. They’ve never won a game in NCAA Tournament competition. Last season they were 11-19 overall, 7-11 in the OVC. Dupree’s a marquee name, and hopefully it’s one that can attract some top caliber recruits, and turn the Lady Tigers into at minimum a winning squad.
The university continues making major moves now in women’s sports. In addition to hiring Dupree, they’ll soon be hiring coaches for the new women’s soccer and swimming & diving programs. At a time when interest in women’s basketball in particular is exploding, and in women’s sports in general, Candice Dupree can hopefully bolster TSU’s fortunes and turn them into a viable and formidable foe rather than one that simply makes the OVC Tournament, but never competes for the championship.
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