ASU Women's Basketball Coach Greg Wilson Steps Down

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State Director of Athletics Clint Bryant announced Friday he has accepted the resignation of Lady Jaguar women’s basketball head coach Greg Wilson.

An Augusta native, Wilson spent the last nine years at the helm of the Lady Jaguar program. He guided ASU to a 140-117 mark and to four winning seasons in the last six years, including a pair of 20-win campaigns.

Wilson’s squads combined for 38 victories the last two seasons, including a 20-10 mark in 2007-08 as the Lady Jags advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual South Atlantic Regional champion Wingate 63-62 in the semifinals.

“Greg has done a tremendous job for us the past nine years in every facet of running a women’s college basketball program,” Bryant said. “While we’re sad to see him leave, we’re very happy to see him reach his goal in life and his true mission and calling. We wish him well in his career.”

Bryant indicated a search would begin immediately for Wilson’s successor.

Under Wilson, ASU enjoyed perhaps its finest season in school history in 2003-04. That squad matched a school record with 24 wins and advanced to the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo., for the first time in school history. ASU recorded its first NCAA postseason wins, defeating three nationally-ranked teams in four days to capture the South Atlantic Regional Championship in Raleigh, N.C.

ASU beat six nationally-ranked teams during the season, including their highest-ranked opponent ever when the Lady Jags defeated No. 4 Shaw in the first round of the South Atlantic Regional on Shaw’s home floor.

“This was an opportunity for me to leave the coaching profession on my own terms,” Wilson said. “After 17 years in this business, I wanted a position where I would be able to spend more time with my family but still be serving in an area where I have a great deal of passion, and the FCA ministry opportunity is just the thing for me!

“I’d like to express my appreciation to the ASU administration, faculty, staff, and especially Clint Bryant for making my nine years at ASU some of the best I’ve had. I know that the women’s basketball program will go on to achieve even greater success in the future. Most of all, I will miss the young ladies that are still in the program. A part of my heart will always be with them. Their tremendous character and positive attitudes made this a very difficult decision for me.”

Wilson first appeared to have turned the corner with the Lady Jags during the 2002-03 campaign, tallying the program’s most successful season in seven years and their first winning season since 1997-98. Wilson guided the Lady Jaguars to a 19-8 record during the regular season as ASU clinched its first Peach Belt Conference North Division championship and its first title of any kind since 1994-95.

Wilson tallied a 140-117 coaching mark at ASU in nine seasons and a 190-124 record in 11 seasons overall. He came to ASU following a very successful stint with the Middle Georgia College Lady Warrior women’s basketball program. Wilson racked up a 50-7 record in just two years at Middle Georgia, where he helped revive the women’s program after a 15-year hiatus.

Wilson was named ASU’s sixth women’s basketball head coach on May 10, 1999. He replaced Lowell Barnhart, who retired after 14 seasons as the winningest coach in the program’s history.