Memphis women's basketball coach Katrina Merriweather hired at Cincinnati

After two seasons at Memphis, Katrina Merriweather was hired by Cincinnati on Saturday as the Bearcats' women's basketball coach. She informed Memphis of her resignation Friday morning.

Merriweather, who played at Cincinnati from 1997-2001, finished 38-23 at Memphis and led the Tigers to their best season since 2012. The Tigers reached the WNIT for the first time since 2016 and advanced to the WNIT Super 16 for the first time since 1999.

"Coach Merriweather has been transparent with us throughout the process over recent days, and she arrived at her decision despite our significant efforts to retain her. She also indicated that this decision was entirely independent from the circumstances surrounding the end of our season," Memphis athletic director Laird Vetch said in a statement.

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The Tigers' season ended in a loss at Bowling Green on Thursday. After the game, leading scorer Jamirah Shutes struck Bowling Green senior Elissa Brett in the postgame handshake line and has been charged with assault by Bowling Green's university police.

Memphis' opening-round WNIT win over Jackson State was the program's first home sellout since 2014 and the second-round win over Ball State was a near-sellout. It was part of the culture change Merriweather helped create after her hire in March 2021.

Merriweather inherited a team that won just four games and was two seasons removed from a 2019 investigation stemming from accusations of physical and verbal abuse within the program. She quickly turned things around as Memphis won 16 games in 2021-22.

The Tigers finished second in the AAC regular-season standings this season, the program's highest finish since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.

Early Saturday morning, Merriweather posted a farewell statement on Twitter that saluted her team for their deepest postseason run in 24 years.

"I am proud of this TEAM’s overall body of work. Who knew this squad would be playing late into March? But they believed and I pray they never stop believing in themselves. Thank you all showing up, proving it, and allowing me to coach you. It was an absolute pleasure," Merriweather wrote.

Merriweather previously coached five seasons at Wright State and led the Raiders to postseason play four times, including the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and 2021.

Veatch said a search will begin immediately for Merriweather's replacement. The Tigers have made significant re-investments into the women's basketball program the past three years, including renovations to Elma Roane Field House with new floors, walls and a video board.

“As displayed with sold-out crowds at our WNIT games last week, Memphis is one of the great basketball cities in America," Veatch said in his statement. "We look forward to identifying our next leader and continuing our rise to national prominence in women’s basketball. We thank Coach Merriweather and her staff and wish them all the best.”

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis women's basketball coach Katrina Merriweather to Cincinnati