Six potential candidates for the open Wichita State women’s basketball head coach spot

Less than one month after hiring a new men’s basketball head coach, Wichita State athletic director Kevin Saal is conducting another national search now for a new women’s basketball head coach.

With Keitha Adams departing WSU after six years to return to UTEP, where she is the all-time most winningest coach in program history, Saal has an opportunity to deliver a shot in the arm to a program that has struggled to compete in the American Athletic Conference era.

The Shockers are coming off arguably their most successful season under Adams with 18 wins, a stunning victory over No. 1 seed and NCAA-bound South Florida in the AAC tournament and a WNIT appearance, the program’s first postseason berth since 2015. But wins against AAC opponents have been in short supply over the last six seasons, as WSU compiled a 34-57 record (.374 winning percentage) against conference foes.

Nearly a decade has passed since WSU appeared in three straight NCAA tournaments from 2013-15, its best stretch in program history. While volleyball, softball and women’s cross country have all claimed AAC championships, the women’s basketball program has struggled to gain traction.

Can the Shockers return to the lofty heights they once reached? Saal’s hire very well could determine that. Because the coaching change occurred so late in the cycle, Wichita State appears to be the top job currently available, which could potentially be an advantage when assessing candidates.

It is unclear what kind of coach Saal might be targeting to take over the program, but here are six coaches — five assistants and one sitting head coach — who could be options for the Wichita State open position.

Billy Fennelly, Iowa State assistant coach

The son of longtime Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, Billy is regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. He has spent the last 11 years as an assistant coach under his father, one of the top X’s-and-O’s coaches in the country, as the Cyclones have become one of the Big 12’s top programs. He was named among the Top 50 Most Impactful Assistants by Silver Waves Media and has served as the recruiting coordinator at Iowa State, landing five top-25 recruiting classes in the past decade. He has clear recruiting ties to the Midwest and has successfully recruited two of the best players to come out of Kansas recently, as Clafin’s Emily Ryan is a current star player for the Cyclones and Derby senior Addy Brown is a four-star recruit in ISU’s 2023 recruiting class.

Terry Nooner, Kansas associate head coach

A former KU men’s basketball player, Nooner has been an assistant coach at his alma mater for the past three seasons. There’s obvious appeal to staying with the Jayhawks, which just won the WNIT this past season, but WSU could offer Nooner his first chance to be a head coach. He has 11 years of high-level Division I coaching experience with previous stops at Texas, Maryland, Alabama and Southern Illinois, plus he spent one year as a player development coach in the NBA for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s from the Kansas City area and would bring strong recruiting ties to the region and a proven track record of player development.

Roman Owen, UNLV associate head coach

Owen is an up-and-coming assistant coach who has helped UNLV compile a 57-10 record with two Mountain West championships and two NCAA tournament appearances the last two seasons. The Oklahoma City native has strong ties to the region and spent two seasons under former OU coach Sherri Coale as a video coordinator. He has also been an assistant coach at Yale (2015-18), Tulsa (2018-19) and North Texas (2019-20). A former standout player himself (he’s the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,802 points at Southwestern Christian), Owen is considered a strong recruiter and a top tactician.

Jhasmin Player, Oklahoma State associate head coach

Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt is a former Shocker player, but it’s unlikely she gives up a Big 12 gig one year in to return to her alma mater. Instead, WSU could pursue her top assistant coach, Player, who appears to be a strong head coaching candidate. A former Baylor standout, Player has enjoyed a quick rise in the coaching world since retiring from her playing career. She has also been an assistant coach at SMU, Kansas, Loyola Marymount and Maine and has developed a reputation as a strong recruiter, particularly in her home state of Texas.

Chris Kielsmeier, Cleveland State head coach

The architect of a turnaround at Cleveland State, Kielsmeier is coming off an ultra-successful 30-5 season that saw the Vikings win the Horizon League championship and secure just the program’s third NCAA tournament appearance. He did just sign a contract extension through the 2027-28 season, which could be an obstacle, but Kielsmeier seems to be a strong head coaching candidate from the mid-major ranks. He also has experience in the region after spending 10 years as the head coach at Wayne State College in Nebraska, where he left as the program’s all-time winningest coach with five NCAA Division II tournament appearances.

Tari Cummings, Baylor assistant coach

Cummings has developed a reputation as a top recruiter in nearly two decades of coaching experience. She has been an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Big 12 power Baylor since 2021 and has plenty of experience in the region with previous stops at Cincinnati, Houston, Arkansas and Tulsa. She has three years of experience as a head coach, although the 27-39 record she compiled at her Division II alma mater, Arkansas-Fort Smith, wasn’t exactly sparkling.

Antwain Scales, Garden City Community College head coach

The Wichita native most famously led the Wichita South girls basketball team to four straight Class 6A Kansas high school state championships from 2013-16. He has since left to become a head coach in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, spending three years at Colby and the past three years at Garden City. Given his history in Wichita and strong recruiting ties, Scales could be an intriguing hire on a staff to make his splash at the Division I level.