Lana FergusonBoth Ole Miss basketball teams are now without a head coach.
After five seasons, Ole Miss and head women’s basketball coach Matt Insell have “mutually agreed to part ways,” Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Ross Bjork announced today.
“Coach Insell inherited a very difficult situation in 2013, and we appreciate his focus and hard work over the last five years,” Bjork said. “In our final analysis, Coach Insell and I agreed that the program needs new leadership. Coach Insell will be a coach for a long time in the future, and we wish him the best as he moves forward.”
A nationwide search will now begin to replace the man that signed three straight recruiting classes that were ranking top 25 nationally.
The women’s team has made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, gone to 10 Sweet Sixteens and competed in five Elite Eights in its history.
“Ole Miss Women’s Basketball has a deep history of success, and we will search the nation for the best coach,” Bjork said. “We have a great foundation in place, and I know we can compete at the highest level.”
Insell leaves with a a 70-87 record during his time at Ole MIss, including a 18-62 mark in SEC play and a 2-5 record in the conference tournament. He took the team to the WNIT twice, most recently in last year. The other time was in 2015, when the team made it to the third round, which is the furthest in school history, and finished with the most wins (19) since 2009-10. Insell was also above the .500 mark as head coach in 2015 and 2017.
He coached four 1,000-point scorers (Tia Faleru, Erika Sisk, Shandricka Sessom, Madinah Muhammad), four All-SEC members and two SEC All-Freshman Team selections.
ANNOUNCEMENT | A nationwide search will now begin for a new head coach, as Ole Miss and Matt Insell have mutually agreed to part ways.
📰 https://t.co/rEG6SXb1aS pic.twitter.com/VOGquHbVLR
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) March 2, 2018
