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NM State director of athletics Joe Fields announced Sunday, March 8 that the university will move forward with new leadership for the women’s basketball program.
“We are grateful for Coach Adams’ dedication and service to our student-athletes and to Aggie Athletics,” said Fields. “We appreciate the work she has put into the program and the positive impact she has had on many young women during her career and time at NM State.
“This decision aligns with the department’s commitment to continued growth and long-term success. NM State is moving proactively to position the program for future achievement”
Adams and the members of the team were informed upon returning from its season-ending 71-55 loss at Sam Houston. The defeat ended Adams’ fourth season on the Aggie bench with a 9-21 overall record. NMSU’s 5-13 record in Conference USA contests means they will miss the conference postseason tournament.
A year ago, Adams’ Aggies finished 18-16 (10-8 CUSA) and fourth in the league. That team made NMSU’s third appearance in the WNIT, where it won a road game against Pacific. The Aggies could not replicate that level of play this season.
As a player, Adams was a starting point guard at Tennessee, playing for the legendary Pat Summitt. Her playing career included a national championship in 1991.
Adams became just the third coach in program history to lead her team to the postseason in her first season with the school. The 2022-2023 Aggies also picked up their first win against in-state rival New Mexico in six years with their 73-64 overtime victory at the Pan-Am on Nov. 15, 2022.
In her first season with the Aggies, Adams made it an emphasis to reestablish a winning culture at NM State with her “Big Belief” mantra that turned around a program that had only won 10 games the prior season.
The Cleveland, Tennessee native received her B.S. in human performance from Tennessee in 1994. Her coaching career began as an assistant at Auburn and continued through stops as an assistant coach at Wake Forest, and Minnesota. Adams as the associate head coach at Kansas City and Southern Illinois.
Her first opportunity as a head coach came at Murray State in the 2007-2008 campaign. Her Racer team finished 24-8 in her one season there. Her teams won 161 games in her 10 years at Wichita State. She then coached a year in high school coaching before returning to the collegiate game in 2018 as an associate head coach at Southern Illinois.
She was as assistant with the Salukis when she took the position running the Aggie program in 2022. Adams’ career reached as a head coach is 252-201, 58-72 at NM State.
“Our vision for Aggie Women’s Basketball remains unwavering,” Fields said in announcing the change. “We are fully committed to competing for championships, graduating our student-athletes and operating a first-class organization that embodies the values of New Mexico State University. We are excited about the future of this program and the opportunities ahead.”
A search for the next head women’s basketball coach is officially underway. The department will move swiftly and thoroughly to identify a leader who shares NMSU’s vision.
