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Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball

(Redirected from Memorial Gymnasium (Louisiana Tech))

The Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team represents Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. The team currently competes in Conference USA. The current head coach of the Lady Techsters is Brooke Stoehr.[2] Louisiana Tech has won three National Championships and has competed in 13 Final Fours, 23 Sweet Sixteens, and 27 NCAA tournaments. The Lady Techsters basketball program boasts three Wade Trophy winners, five Olympic medalists, eight members of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, 16 All-Americans, and 21 WNBA players. The Lady Techsters have an all-time record of 1207–406, with a .748 winning percentage, and are the fifth program in NCAA history to reach 1,200 wins.[3] The Lady Techsters have made 27 appearances in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, which is the twelfth most all-time.

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters
2024–25 Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters basketball team
UniversityLouisiana Tech University
First season1974–75
All-time record1207–406
Head coachBrooke Stoehr (9th season)
ConferenceC-USA
LocationRuston, Louisiana
ArenaThomas Assembly Center
(capacity: 8,000)
NicknameLady Techsters
ColorsColumbia blue and red[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away
Alternate jersey
Team colours
Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1982, 1988
NCAA tournament runner-up
1983, 1987, 1994, 1998
NCAA tournament Final Four
1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1998, 1999
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004
NCAA tournament appearances
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011
AIAW tournament champions
1981
AIAW tournament runner-up
1979
AIAW tournament Final Four
1979, 1980, 1981
AIAW tournament Elite Eight
1979, 1980, 1981
AIAW tournament Sweet Sixteen
1979, 1980, 1981
AIAW tournament appearances
1979, 1980, 1981
Conference tournament champions
American South: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
Sun Belt: 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
WAC: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010
Conference regular season champions
American South: 1988, 1989, 1990
Sun Belt: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
WAC: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011
Conference division season champions
C-USA: 2022

History

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Sonja Hogg Era (1974–1982)

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In 1974, Louisiana Tech President F. Jay Taylor established the university's first women's athletic program, a women's basketball team. He hired a 28-year-old P.E. teacher at Ruston High School, Sonja Hogg, as the program's first head coach. Following 13- and 19-win seasons in 1974 and 1975, she never won less than 20 games in a season for the rest of her time at Louisiana Tech. The late 70s and early 80s saw much success, with Hogg leading the Lady Techsters to 4 straight Final Four appearances from 1978 to 1981, including 2 national championships in 1980 and 1981.

Hogg-Barmore Era (1982–1985)

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Leon Barmore joined the Lady Techster staff in 1977 as an assistant, quickly moving up the ranks. After becoming Associate Head Coach in 1980, he was named co-head coach in 1982. With this duo leading, Tech saw continued dominance, including 3 straight trips to the NCAA tournament, 2 Final Four appearances, and 1 appearance in the final match. Following the 1985 season, Hogg left to coach at Deer Park High School, leaving Barmore solely in charge of the program.

Leon Barmore Era (1985–2002)

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Statue of Leon Barmore, located outside the Thomas Assembly Center

Following Sonja Hogg's departure, Leon Barmore once again continued the dominance of previous years. During 16 years as the sole head coach, Barmore coached the Techsters to the NCAA tournament every season, 7 Final Four appearances, 4 more trips to the final round, and 1 additional national title during the 1987–1988 season. He also successfully navigated the Techsters through conference moves to the American South, Sun Belt, and WAC; winning 13 regular-season conference titles. Retiring after the 2001 season, Barmore had earned a coaching record of 576 wins and 87 losses, good for a win percentage of .869 and the 2nd best in basketball history. He has been inducted into both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kurt Budke Era (2002–2005)

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After Barmore's retirement, Kurt Budke was named as head coach of the Lady Techsters. Budke had served as an associate head coach under Barmore since 2000 and had previously coached successfully in the NJCAA. In his 3 years as head coach, the Techsters earned 3 regular season conference titles, 2 conference tournament titles, 3 NCAA tournament appearances, and 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances. Following the 2004–2005 season, Budke was hired by Oklahoma State to fill the same position. He left Ruston with an 80–16 record.

Chris Long Era (2005–2009)

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Chris Long, another assistant who had been on staff under Barmore, was named as the 4th Lady Techsters head coach in 2005. While he started his tenure continuing the dominance of previous coaches, including 2 regular season conference titles and 1 NCAA tournament appearance, he was fired halfway into the 2008–2009 season after a 12–11 start.[4] This followed a 16–15 season in 2007–2008 where Tech failed to play in the postseason for the second season in a row. He left the Techsters with a 71–44 record.

Teresa Weatherspoon Era (2009–2014)

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After Chris Long was fired midway into the 2008–2009 season, Teresa Weatherspoon was named Interim head coach, later becoming the 5th head coach of the Lady Techsters. Previously, she had played under Sonja Hogg and Leon Barmore from 1984 to 1988 and had been an associate head coach at Louisiana Tech since 2008. As head coach, she led the Techsters to 2 regular season conference titles, 1 conference tournament title in 2009–2010, and 2 NCAA tournament appearances. Following Louisiana Tech's move from the WAC to Conference USA in 2013, Weatherspoon was fired after a 12–20 season where the Lady Techsters finished last in the conference.

Tyler Summitt Era (2014–2016)

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Tyler Summitt was hired in 2014 following Teresa Weatherspoon's firing. Previously he served as an assistant coach at Marquette from 2012 to 2014. Summitt gathered a 30–31 record during his tenure in Ruston. His time as head coach was marked by scandal, however, as news broke that he was involved in an extramarital affair with Brooke Pumroy, a player who had transferred from Marquette along with Summitt. After this affair was leaked, Summitt resigned on April 7, 2016.[5]

Brooke Stoehr Era (since 2016)

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Brooke Stoehr was hired to be the next head coach of the Lady Techsters following Tyler Summitt's resignation in April 2016.[6] Previously, she coached for 4 seasons at Northwestern State. Before that, she played at Tech for 4 seasons from 1998 to 2002 under Leon Barmore. Currently, in her eighth season as head coach, she has led the Techsters to 4 WNIT bids, and 1 division regular season conference title.

Conference affiliations

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Seasons

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Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Sonja Hogg (Independent) (1974–1982)
1974–75 Sonja Hogg 13–9 AIAW State
1975–76 Sonja Hogg 19–10 AIAW State
1976–77 Sonja Hogg 22–9 AIAW Region 4
1977–78 Sonja Hogg 20–8 AIAW Region 4
1978–79 Sonja Hogg 34–4 AIAW Finalists
1979–80 Sonja Hogg 40–5 AIAW Final Four
1980–81 Sonja Hogg 34–0 AIAW Champions
1981–82 Sonja Hogg 35–1 NCAA Champions
Sonja Hogg/Leon Barmore (Independent) (1982–1985)
1982–83 Hogg/Barmore 31–2 NCAA Finalists
1983–84 Hogg/Barmore 30–3 NCAA Final Four
1984–85 Hogg/Barmore 29–4 NCAA Elite Eight
Sonja Hogg: 307–55 (.848)
Leon Barmore (Independent) (1985–1987)
1985–86 Leon Barmore 27–5 NCAA Elite Eight
1986–87 Leon Barmore 30–3 NCAA Finalists
Leon Barmore (American South Conference) (1987–1991)
1987–88 Leon Barmore 32–2 5–0 1st NCAA Champions
1988–89 Leon Barmore 24–6 13–2 1st NCAA Final Four
1989–90 Leon Barmore 25–6 14–2 1st NCAA Final Four
1990–91 Leon Barmore 29–5 14–2 2nd NCAA First Round
Leon Barmore (Sun Belt Conference) (1991–2001)
1991–92 Leon Barmore 20–10 12–4 T–3rd NCAA 1st Round
1992–93 Leon Barmore 26–6 13–1 T–1st NCAA Elite Eight
1993–94 Leon Barmore 31–4 14–0 1st NCAA Final Four
1994–95 Leon Barmore 28–5 13–1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1995–96 Leon Barmore 31–2 14–0 1st NCAA Final Elite Eight
1996–97 Leon Barmore 31–4 12–2 T–1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1997–98 Leon Barmore 31–4 13–1 1st NCAA Finalists
1998–99 Leon Barmore 30–3 12–0 T–1st NCAA Final Four
1999–00 Leon Barmore 31–3 16–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
2000–01 Leon Barmore 31–5 16–0 1st NCAA Elite Eight
Leon Barmore (WAC) (2001–2002)
2001–02 Leon Barmore 25–5 17–1 1st NCAA First Round
Leon Barmore: 576–87 (.869) 186–13 (.935)
Kurt Budke (WAC) (2002–2005)
2002–03 Kurt Budke 31–3 18–0 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2003–04 Kurt Budke 29–3 17–1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2004–05 Kurt Budke 20–10 14–4 T–1st NCAA First Round
Kurt Budke: 80–16 (.833) 49–5 (.907)
Chris Long (WAC) (2005–2008)
2005–06 Chris Long 26–5 15–1 1st NCAA First Round
2006–07 Chris Long 17–13 12–4 T–1st Declined WNIT Bid
2007–08 Chris Long 16–15 9–7 T–4th
Chris Long/Teresa Weatherspoon (WAC) (2008–2009)
2008–09 Long/Weatherspoon 21–13 12–4 T–1st WNIT Second Round
Chris Long: 71–44 (.617) 40–16 (.714)
Teresa Weatherspoon (WAC) (2009–2013)
2009–10 Teresa Weatherspoon 23–9 11–5 2nd NCAA First Round
2010–11 Teresa Weatherspoon 24–8 15–1 1st NCAA First Round
2011–12 Teresa Weatherspoon 17–15 8–6 3rd
2012–13 Teresa Weatherspoon 14–17 9–9 5th
Teresa Weatherspoon (Conference USA) (2013–2014)
2013–14 Teresa Weatherspoon 12–20 5–11 14th
Teresa Weatherspoon: 99–71 (.582) 56–32 (.636)
Tyler Summitt (Conference USA) (2014–2016)
2014–15 Tyler Summitt 16–15 10–8 T–7th
2015–16 Tyler Summitt 14–16 9–9 7th
Tyler Summitt: 30–31 (.492) 14–16 (.467)
Brooke Stoehr (Conference USA) (2016–present)
2016–17 Brooke Stoehr 18–14 12–6 T–4th WNIT First Round
2017–18 Brooke Stoehr 19–12 10–6 T–3rd WNIT First Round
2018–19 Brooke Stoehr 14–16 6–10 10th
2019–20 Brooke Stoehr 15-15 6–12 T–11th
2020–21 Brooke Stoehr 14–10 8–8 4th West
2021–22 Brooke Stoehr 21–12 11–7 1st West WNIT First Round
2022–23 Brooke Stoehr 19-13 12–8 5th WNIT First Round
2023–24 Brooke Stoehr 14-19 7-9 4th
Brooke Stoehr: 134–111 (.547) 72–66 (.522)
Total: 1207–406 (.748)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason results

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1982 Louisiana Tech women's basketball team

AIAW Division I

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The Lady Techsters made three appearances in the AIAW women's basketball tournament, with a combined record of 9–3.

Year Round Opponent Result
1979 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship 		Kansas
Northwestern
Tennessee
Old Dominion 		W, 100–61
W, 88–52
W, 102–84
L, 65–75
1980 Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third Place Game 		Kansas
Long Beach State
Old Dominion
South Carolina 		W, 81–73
W, 96–70
L, 59–73
L, 69–77
1981 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship 		Jackson State
UCLA
USC
Tennessee 		W, 97–50
W, 87–54
W, 66–50
W, 79–59

NCAA Division I

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Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1982 #1 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #8 Tennessee Tech
#4 Arizona State
#2 Kentucky
#2 Tennessee
#2 Cheyney		 W 114–53
W 92–54
W 82–60
W 69–46
W 76–62
1983 #1 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #8 Middle Tennessee
#5 Auburn
#2 Texas
#2 Old Dominion
#1 USC		 W 91–59
W 81–54
W 72–58
W 71–55
L 67–69
1984 #1 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four		 #8 Texas Tech
#5 LSU
#2 Texas
#1 USC		 W 94–68
W 92–67
W 85–60
L 57–62
1985 #1 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #8 Illinois State
#5 San Diego State
#2 Northeast Louisiana		 W 81–57
W 94–64
L 76–85
1986 #2 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #7 Washington
#3 Long Beach State
#1 USC		 W 79–54
W 71–69
L 64–80
1987 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #8 Northwestern
#5 Southern Illinois
#3 Iowa
#1 Texas
#2 Tennessee		 W 82–60
W 66–53
W 66–65
W 79–75
L 44–67
1988 #2 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #7 Kansas
#3 Ole Miss
#1 Texas
#1 Tennessee
#1 Auburn		 W 89–50
W 80–60
W 83–80
W 68–59
W 56–54
1989 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four		 #9 Oklahoma State
#4 LSU
#2 Stanford
#1 Auburn		 W 103–78
W 85–68
W 85–75
L 71–76
1990 #1 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four		 #8 Southern Miss
#4 Purdue
#3 Texas
#2 Auburn		 W 89–70
W 91–47
W 71–57
L 69–81
1991 #10 First Round #7 Cal State Fullerton L 80–84
1992 #6 First Round #11 Northern Illinois L 71–77 (OT)
1993 #6 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #11 DePaul
#3 Texas
#7 Southwest Missouri State
#1 Vanderbilt		 W 70–59
W 82–78
W 59–43
L 53–58
1994 #4 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #13 SMU
#6 Ole Miss
#1 Tennessee
#2 USC
#6 Alabama
#3 North Carolina		 W 96–62
W 82–67
W 71–68
W 75–66
W 69–66
L 59–60
1995 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #15 Furman
#7 Oklahoma
#3 Virginia		 W 90–52
W 48–36
L 62–63
1996 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #16 UCF
#9 Southern Miss
#4 Texas Tech
#2 Georgia		 W 98–41
W 84–46
W 66–55
L 76–90
1997 #2 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #15 Saint Peter's
#7 Auburn
#3 Florida		 W 94–50
W 74–48
L 57–71
1998 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game		 #14 Holy Cross
#6 Clemson
#2 Alabama
#4 Purdue
#4 NC State
#1 Tennessee		 W 86–58
W 74–52
W 71–57
W 72–65
W 84–65
L 75–93
1999 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four		 #16 UCF
#8 Penn State
#4 LSU
#3 UCLA
#1 Purdue		 W 90–48
W 79–62
W 73–52
W 88–62
L 63–77
2000 #1 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #16 Alcorn State
#9 Vanderbilt
#4 Old Dominion
#2 Penn State		 W 95–53
W 66–65
W 86–74
L 65–86
2001 #3 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight		 #14 Georgia State
#11 TCU
#10 Missouri
#1 Connecticut		 W 84–48
W 80–59
W 78–67
L 48–67
2002 #5 First Round #12 UC Santa Barbara L 56–57
2003 #5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #12 Pepperdine
#4 Ohio State
#1 LSU		 W 94–60
W 74–61
L 63–69
2004 #5 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #12 Montana
#4 Texas Tech
#1 Duke		 W 81–77
W 81–64
L 49–63
2005 #11 First Round #6 Temple L 61–66
2006 #11 First Round #6 Florida State L 71–80
2010 #14 First Round #3 Florida State L 61–75
2011 #10 First Round #7 Rutgers L 51–76

Rivalries

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Fresno State Bulldogs

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See also: Fresno State Bulldogs women's basketball
Louisiana Tech–Fresno State: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting La Tech wins La Tech losses Win %
29 November 24, 1995 (won 77–59) March 10, 2012 (lost 61–89) 17 12 58.6%

LSU Lady Tigers

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See also: LSU Lady Tigers basketball
Louisiana Tech–LSU: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting La Tech wins La Tech losses Win %
29 January 24, 1975 (won 97–83) November 11, 2016 (lost 73–77) 14 17 45.2%

Tennessee Lady Vols

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See also: Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
Louisiana Tech–Tennessee: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting La Tech wins La Tech losses Win %
41 December 16, 1978 (won 64–56) November 23, 2008 (lost 59–94) 17 24 41.5%

WKU Lady Toppers

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See also: WKU Lady Toppers basketball
Louisiana Tech–WKU: All-Time Record
Games played First meeting Last meeting La Tech wins La Tech losses Win %
53 December 3, 1983 (won 82–50) February 23, 2023 (won 70–65) 28 25 52.83%

Home venues

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Thomas Assembly Center

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Thomas Assembly Center
Main article: Thomas Assembly Center

The Thomas Assembly Center (TAC) has been home to the Lady Techsters basketball team since the 8,000-seat facility opened in November 1982. Constructed at a cost of $17.5 million, the TAC is a cylindrical arena with a concrete finish and bronze glass at the entrance level. In 2007 a new state-of-the-art maple wood floor was installed in the TAC and named "Karl Malone Court".

In the Lady Techsters' first game at the TAC, Louisiana Tech lost to USC, led by Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper, 64–58 in front of 8,700 fans on December 4, 1982. However, the Lady Techsters picked up their first win at the TAC in their next game by defeating Alabama 83–56 on December 9, 1982.

On January 22, 1985, Louisiana Tech set an attendance record of 8,975 at the TAC in a women's/men's doubleheader in which the Lady Techsters defeated Northeast Louisiana 79–77 in overtime. The Lady Techsters have hosted 15 crowds of more than 7,000 and eight capacity crowds of more than 8,000. The Lady Techsters regularly rank in the Top 40 in NCAA women's basketball average attendance, including a program record average of 5,330 in 1983–84.

The Lady Techsters have been almost unbeatable at the TAC. As of the 2022–23 season, the Lady Techsters boast a 522–106 record at the TAC, an 83.1% winning percentage. The Lady Techsters have recorded thirteen undefeated seasons at the TAC, and is a perfect 36–0 all-time in NCAA tournament games there. The Lady Techsters won 161 consecutive games against unranked opponents at home from 1992 to 2004, and the Lady Techsters won 114 consecutive regular season home conference games between 1992 and 2007; and have posted home winning streaks of 49, 52 and 62 games, all of which rank in the Top 15 in Division I history.

Memorial Gymnasium

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Memorial Gymnasium

In 1952, Memorial Gymnasium, now Scotty Robertson Memorial Gymnasium, was constructed on the Louisiana Tech University campus in Ruston to serve as the home of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs basketball. After the inception of the Lady Techsters basketball team in 1974, Memorial Gymnasium was home to Lady Techster basketball through the 1981–82 season. In the first game in program history, the Lady Techsters lost to Southeastern Louisiana 55–59 in Memorial Gym on January 7, 1975. However, in their next game, the Lady Techsters rebounded to defeat LSU 97–83 to christen Memorial Gym with the first victory in Louisiana Tech women's basketball history on January 24, 1975.

During the 1979–80 season, more than 5,000 fans routinely packed inside Memorial Gym to watch the Lady Techsters play, and Louisiana Tech's attendance peaked at 6,220 for UCLA and 6,314 for Stephen F. Austin. After that season, the Louisiana State Fire Marshall ordered Louisiana Tech to not allow more than 5,200 spectators into Memorial Gym again. If Louisiana Tech did not comply, the fire marshal vowed to personally count the crowd and not let more than 4,800 enter Memorial Gym again. As a result, Louisiana Tech President F. Jay Taylor initiated the construction of the 8,000 capacity Thomas Assembly Center.

In the Lady Techsters' final game played in Memorial Gym, Louisiana Tech defeated Kentucky 82–60 on March 20, 1982, in the Midwest regional final of the first NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. Throughout the eight seasons the Lady Techsters played in Memorial Gymnasium, Louisiana Tech amassed 84 wins and only 6 losses at home. The Lady Techsters' 93.3% winning percentage at Memorial Gym ranks third best all-time only trailing Tennessee at Thompson–Boling Arena (94.2%) and Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion (93.7%).

Traditions

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Main article: Traditions of Louisiana Tech University

Lady Techsters

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I just didn't want us to be the Lady Bulldogs. I could hear people saying, "There comes Coach Hogg and all of her little b!+¢#ə$."

— Former head coach Sonja Hogg on the Lady Techsters nickname in 2009[7]

When Sonja Hogg was hired in 1974 as the first women's basketball coach, she refused to call her team the Lady Bulldogs after the Louisiana Tech men's nickname. She asserted that bulldogs were "unfeminine" and that "a lady dog is a b!+¢#." For that reason, her first initiative as head coach was to nix the nickname Bulldogs from any connection with her team. Thus, Hogg decided to change her team's nickname to the Lady Techsters.

Hogg would not allow her Lady Techsters to wear knee or elbow pads because they were unladylike. A 1986 Sports Illustrated article stated, "A Lady Techster is likely to be a good student and a devout Christian, probably favors needlepoint over Madonna tapes on airplanes and fears a drug test about as much as she does an airport metal detector." The same article stated that Hogg's insistence that her players act like ladies gave the team an "almost antebellum image" that was well-suited to a conservative town like Ruston.[8]

Columbia Blue

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Columbia blue Lady Techster jersey with sleeves

In 1896, Col. A.T. Prescott, president of what was then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, announced the selection of red and blue as the institution's colors. Red was chosen to represent courage, and blue was selected to embody loyalty. In the 1960s, Columbia blue was introduced to Louisiana Tech in various applications. In 1974, Sonja Hogg, along with the head of the university's art department, Raymond Nichols, presented various shades of blue to the athletics council, and Hogg's preference of Columbia blue was adopted as the primary color of the Lady Techsters. Prior to 2003, the university's teams, departments, and organizations used various shades of blue ranging from light blue to dark blue. Yet in 2003, Louisiana Tech standardized its shade of blue by adopting reflex blue as the official hue. However, due to Louisiana Tech's rich tradition in women's basketball, the Lady Techsters basketball team was granted the only exemption to not adopt reflex blue and was allowed to continue to use the traditional Columbia blue. While other teams have since used Columbia blue in limited capacity, the shade is still mostly synonymous with the women's basketball team.

Jersey Sleeves

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In 1974, Sonja Hogg designed the Lady Techster jerseys with modest sleeves to avoid her players showing sports bra straps (or before their invention, regular bra straps) or underarms. As Lady Techster basketball rose to national prominence, the jersey sleeves became recognized as part of the Lady Techster brand. Sleeves remained a staple of the Lady Techsters jerseys throughout Leon Barmore's tenure as head coach. After Barmore retired in 2002, new head coach Kurt Budke introduced the first Lady Techsters sleeveless jerseys at the behest of the players.

Hoop Troop

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See also: Band of Pride

Hoop Troop is the official basketball pep band at Louisiana Tech University. The Hoop Troop performs at most women's basketball home games and travels to select road basketball games. The band also usually travels to all post-season games played by the Lady Techsters, and is known nationally as one of the best basketball bands in college basketball. In the 2005 post-season, the Hoop Troop was featured in a Sports Illustrated's College Edition article, "65 Things We Want to See During March Madness" in which states, "30) The Louisiana Tech pep band, a.k.a. the Hoop Troop, the funniest band in the land."[9] The Hoop Troop was the only basketball band to be listed.

Players

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Pam Kelly

Honors

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Wade Trophy

 
Statues of Teresa Weatherspoon and Kim Mulkey

Three Lady Techsters have been awarded the Wade Trophy, the award presented annually to the best women's basketball player in the NCAA. Connecticut is the only program to have more than three players awarded the Wade Trophy.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

  • Teresa Weatherspoon, inducted in 2019
  • Kim Mulkey, inducted in 2020
  • Leon Barmore, inducted in 2003

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

All-Americans

Eleven Lady Techsters have been awarded 16 Kodak First Team All-America honors.

Conference player of the year

Fourteen Lady Techsters have garnered 19 conference player of the year honors.

Olympic medalists

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Lady Techsters have won five Olympic Games medals.

Name Country Olympiad Event Result
Venus Lacy   United States Atlanta 1996 Women's basketball 1st
Janice Lawrence   United States Los Angeles 1984 Women's basketball 1st
Kim Mulkey   United States Los Angeles 1984 Women's basketball 1st
Teresa Weatherspoon   United States Seoul 1988 Women's basketball 1st
Barcelona 1992 Women's basketball 3rd

Lady Techsters in the WNBA

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Twenty-one former Lady Techsters have been drafted or played in the WNBA. Numerous Lady Techsters have played professional basketball overseas.

Year Rnd Pick Overall Player name Position WNBA team Notes
1997 Initial Player Allocation Janice Lawrence Braxton C Cleveland Rockers —
1997 Initial Player Allocation Teresa Weatherspoon G New York Liberty WNBA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (1997, 1998)
1997 2 4 12 Vickie Johnson G New York Liberty WNBA All-Star (1999, 2001)
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award (2008)
1997 3 1 17 Racquel Spurlock C Houston Comets —
1997 3 7 23 Debra Williams G Charlotte Sting —
1998 Undrafted La'Shawn Brown C Washington Mystics —
1999 4 10 46 Amanda Wilson F Phoenix Mercury —
1999 Undrafted Alisa Burras C Cleveland Rockers —
1999 Undrafted Monica Maxwell F Sacramento Monarchs —
1999 Undrafted Venus Lacy C New York Liberty —
2000 1 6 6 Betty Lennox G Minnesota Lynx WNBA Champion (2004)
WNBA All-Star (2000)
WNBA Rookie of the Year (2000)
WNBA Finals MVP (2004)
2000 1 8 8 Tamicha Jackson G Detroit Shock —
2000 4 11 59 Shaka Massey C Charlotte Sting —
2002 2 4 20 Ayana Walker F Detroit Shock WNBA Champion (2003)
2002 3 3 35 Takeisha Lewis F Seattle Storm —
2003 1 3 3 Cheryl Ford F Detroit Shock WNBA Champion (2003, 2006, 2008)
WNBA All-Star (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2007)
WNBA Rookie of the Year (2003)
2004 2 4 17 Amisha Carter C New York Liberty —
2004 2 6 19 Trina Frierson F Seattle Storm WNBA Champion (2004)
2005 2 6 19 Erica Taylor G Washington Mystics —
2010 2 6 18 Shanavia Dowdell F Washington Mystics —
2011 3 4 28 Adrienne Johnson F Connecticut Sun —

Coaches

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Head coaching records

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# Name Years Seasons GC OW OL O% CW CL C% PW PL RCs TCs NCs
1 Sonja Hogg 1974–1985 11 362 307 55 .848 — — — 56 16 — — 2
2 Leon Barmore 1982–2002 20 663 576 87 .869 186 13 .935 56 19 13 12 1
3 Kurt Budke 2002–2005 3 96 80 16 .833 49 5 .907 4 3 3 2 0
4 Chris Long 2005–2009 3.7 115 71 44 .617 40 16 .714 0 1 2 1 0
5 Teresa Weatherspoon 2009–2014 5.3 170 99 71 .582 56 32 .636 1 3 2 1 0
6 Tyler Summitt 2014–2016 2 61 30 31 .492 19 17 .528 0 0 0 0 0
7 Brooke Stoehr 2016–present 8 245 134 111 .547 72 66 .522 0 4 0 0 0

Honors

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Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

 
Lady Techsters championship banner

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year

USBWA Women's National Coach of the Year

Maggie Dixon Award

Conference coach of the year

Leon Barmore coaching tree

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Kim Mulkey

Nine former assistant coaches under head coach Leon Barmore have become head women's basketball coaches.

Lady Techsters in coaching

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Nine former Lady Techsters have become head women's basketball coaches.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Louisiana Tech University Identity Standards. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "Louisiana Tech hires Brooke Stoehr to be new head coach". Hoopfeed.com. April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "Lady Techsters Celebrate 50 Years With 1,200th Program Win". Louisiana Tech Sports. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "Chris Long Fired As Lady Techsters Head Coach". KTBS. February 8, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Connelly, Kevin (April 7, 2016). "Summitt out at La. Tech after engaging in relationship". The News-Star Louisiana. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Louisiana Tech hires Brooke Stoehr to replace Summitt". USA Today. April 8, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Jim Rapier (June 24, 2009), Sonja Hogg built the Louisiana Tech women's basketball program into a powerhouse, The Times-Picayune, archived from the original on July 14, 2011, retrieved August 13, 2010
  8. ^ "Belles Of The Ball". Sports Illustrated. November 19, 1986. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  9. ^ "SI.com – SI on Campus – 65 Things We Want to See During March Madness – Wednesday March 9, 2005 10:12AM". Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
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