Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

You can't argue with the resume.

Central Arkansas turned to a proven commodity when it named NCAA veteran Sandra Rushing coach of the women's basketball team Thursday. Rushing has won more than 400 games and earned numerous accolades in her 23-year head coaching career spanning every division of NCAA basketball.

"Coach Sandra Rushing has been a head coach since she was 25," UCA Athletic Director Brad Teague said. "She has over 10 years of experience at a Division I program and 10 years at the top Division II program in the country. She is a winner and doesn't accept anything but success. Coach Rushing is a tireless recruiter and is committed to molding young women to success on and off the court. She will thrive at UCA as a coach and person. She will enjoy the atmosphere among all our athletics staff and support the other sports as they will do the same for her program."

Rushing was chosen to succeed Matt Daniel, who accepted the women's head coaching job at Marshall University earlier in the week.

"I appreciate what Coach Daniel and the women's basketball staff have done for our program," Teague said. "It is in fine shape for our future. You always want to leave jobs in a better position than you found them in, and Coach Daniel certainly did that for UCA.

Rushing inherits a Sugar Bear program coming off a Southland Conference championship and three straight seasons of 21 or more victories. She was 254-58 for an .814 winning percentage in 10 seasons at Division II powerhouse Delta State in Cleveland, Miss. and guided the Lady Statesmen to two Final Fours, six Gulf South Conference championships and six straight Sweet 16 appearances from 2006-2011.

Rushing was Gulf South West Division Coach of the Decade in 2010, was GSC Coach of the Year a league-record six times and was the Womens' Basketball Coaches Association Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2011. Under Rushing, Delta State was 132-9 at home, including a 64-game winning streak from 2007-2011.

After in going 15-12 in 2004-05, Rushing's DSU teams averaged more than 28 victories the next seven years, posting a 198-30 record during that period. She had three teams win 30 games, including a 33-1 season in 2007-08, when the only loss came in the national semifinal.

"We are excited to have someone with over 20 years of extreme success in coaching and one whom I know and have worked with," Teague said. "Coach Rushing will commit all of her time and effort into the success of Sugar Bear basketball and we are excited and fortunate to have her talents at UCA."

UCA returns five seniors, including two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year Megan Herbert, and eight players who saw action for last season's 24-7 league champion team that made its second straight national postseason tournament with the program's first berth in the WNIT.

Rushing coached a year at Henderson State before moving on to Delta State and led a team with six straight losing seasons to a 13-13 finish. 

She spent 11 seasons as the head coach at University of Texas-El Paso from 1990-2001. She won 123 games and was inducted into the UTEP Hall of Fame in 1999. She began her head coaching career with one season at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. in 1989-90 after two years as a graduate assistant at Delta State.

Rushing played at Alabama and holds the Crimson Tide's career free throw percentage record.