NEW ERA: OKWU brings new women's head basketball coach on board

Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s women’s basketball team has swooped to some big moments the past few years — soaring upward toward a stratosphere of stunning success but not quite getting there.

New head coach Heidi Messer hopes to get the Lady Eagle program to spread its wings to its full extension of potential and reaching that next level as one of the nation’s top teams year-in-and-year-out.

Messer fills the vacancy left by Grace Hadley, who resigned after more than three seasons in the No. 1 chair.

From 2019-22, Hadley’s OKWU teams recorded a cumulative winning record, 46-44, and advanced each season to the semifinals of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament.

During the 2021-22 journey, OKWU clawed and battled to an 18-15 record, including knocking off No. 1 see Tabor, 62-58, in the KCAC tourney.

But, Avila stopped OKWU, 65-51, in the semifinal and a chance to qualify for the national tourney.

Messer becomes the Lady Eagles’ fourth head coach since 2011. The list included Mark Molder (two different stints), Jason Jeschke and Hadley.

Messer has been working the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern State.

Two other recent coaching stops included the University of Monetvallo and Manchester (Ind.) University.

She also was part of a staff last summer that for a USA Sports Basketball team, made up of NCAA-II players, that played in Brazil.

She played college ball at Grace (Ind.) College, filling the billet as team captain her senior seasons and finishing in the Top 10 in team history in assists. Messer graduated in 2009 from Grace and the served as a graduate assistant at Georgetown (Ky.) College, coaching two All-Americans and four All-Conference players.

Following more than a decade of sideline and recruiting seasoning, Messer gets to start on a new adventure as a head coach.

“We are excited to announce Heidi as our new women’s basketball head coach,” OKWU Athletic Director Kirk Kelley said in a school press release. “She is a great mission fit, and I feel her enthusiasm will be contagious. She is ready to hit the floor running.”

Messer arrived in town Tuesday and set out immediately to make contact with the Lady Eagles expected to return next season and establish a relationship.

Her next-biggest task is to finish up recruiting.

“I’ll probably work from a pool of players I’ve gotten to know and am getting to know,” she said.

Messer learned about three weeks ago about the opening at OKWU.

“I got connected with the athletic director and we kind of moved quickly in that process,” she said. “I want to get connected with the team.”

After taking custody Tuesday of her office, she obtained all of the players’ phone numbers. Contacting them “is on top of my to-do list tomorrow (Wednesday), she said.

OKWU’s women’s program has touched moments of greatness during its history but has mostly followed a roller-coaster odyssey, with strings of successful seasons and struggling campaigns.

The program reached its apex of achievement, so far, by winning a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association national title for the 2004-05 season — despite a losing record (16-20) — with Barney Hay as head coach.

In the past 17 seasons, OKWU has recorded nine winning records fallen eight times below .500.

From 2013 through 2015, the Lady Eagles amassed a stellar 72-25 record; from 2006-2011 the team recorded a 68-110 mark.

Messer’s resume includes NAIA experience, having been part of a Final Four team at Georgetown.

“There’s a lot of familiarity with the NAIA world,” she said about her background. “I went to a college similar to Oklahoma Wesleyan University.”

But, this is the first time she’s been in Bartlesville. She’s already familiarized herself with the Lady Eagles’ recent history.

“They had a decent year last year. … I want to continue building on that for sure,” she said.

But, she can’t offer a lot of specifics yet, not until she gets to know her players and, more importantly, seeing what they can do on the court.

“It comes down to some fundamental principles,” she said, which include conditioning and learning how to compete successfully in the latter part of games.

Her main theme appears to be fostering more consistency in quality of play.

And attitude. That includes “walking around like a winner, working hard, practicing hard and intensity to turn that corner,” she said.

Messer’s preferred style of play is up-tempo while incorporating the individual strengths of the player into a cohesive attack.

But, success on the court doesn’t define Messer’s total vision of coaching.

“I think what I like most about coaching the sport of basketball is the platform it gives me to really impact and empower young women,” she said.

She fell in love as a small girl with the sport.

“I was an enormous Michael Jordan fan,” Messer explained. “I enjoy the competitiveness and the friendships you make in basketball. This should be a fun game, especially when you see it well-executed it should be a fun game to watch and to be a part of.”

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Focus on Oklahoma Wesleyan University women's hoops