Nancy Wilson's second stint running the College of Charleston women's basketball program will come to an end after this season -- her 30th as a head coach.
Wilson, whose Cougars (2-11, 1-3 Southern Conference) host the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (8-4, 2-0) this afternoon at TD Arena, announced her decision to retire last summer.
"It's one of those things that's hard on some days and not on others," said Wilson, 61, who is the winningest all-time coach at both the College of Charleston (306 wins) and South Carolina (231).
Two of the main factors that influenced Wilson's decision, she said, were the Cougars' present rebuilding mode and her lack of enthusiasm for recruiting.
"Recruiting would be my least favorite thing. I mean I love meeting the people through recruiting, but just the highs and lows of it," she said. "And our program, we built it up to a point a couple of years ago where we could be competitive and now we find ourselves rebuilding again.
"I just feel like it's a good time for somebody else to come in and make their mark with it."
Wilson said one of her favorite experiences in coaching came during the 2008-09 SoCon tournament in Chattanooga. The Cougars upset UTC 53-51 in the semifinals before losing to Western Carolina in triple overtime in the title game.
"That tournament would be the highlight of this run [at Charleston]," she said. "This year hasn't been that successful in the number of wins so far, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this group of young ladies and I really will miss them."
Wilson was the head coach in Charleston from 1976 to '84. She then left for the South Carolina job, leading the Gamecocks to five NCAA tournament appearances in her 13 years at Columbia.
From 1997 to 2003, before she again took command of the Cougars, Wilson wasn't coaching.
"I'm one of those rare coaches that does understand that there are other things going on out there in the world," she said. "I'm not afraid of life without it, and yet at the same time I love it and I know that there will be a lot that I miss."
Wilson won't miss the recruiting, which is one of Lady Mocs coach Wes Moore's favorite parts of the job. He enjoys hitting the road and scouting players all over the Southeast.
"I enjoy getting out and seeing games, but not everyone does," he said. "I do hope she gets to enjoy life a little bit and relax."
That probably won't be a problem.
"I'm looking forward to doing other things," said Wilson, who is moving to Surfside Beach, S.C., "even if the other things are doing nothing."
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
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