Fresno State Athletics
Adrian Wiggins Named Women's Basketball Head Coach
4/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 7, 2006
FRESNO, Calif.- Adrian Wiggins, who has served as the interim head women's basketball coach at Fresno State since Feb. 9, 2005, has been selected as the head women's basketball coach at Fresno State. Wiggins was selected after the school conducted a national search for the position. Wiggins is the eighth head coach in program history. Thomas Boeh, Fresno State's Director of Athletics, made the announcement today.
"I'm pleased to announce the hiring of Adrian Wiggins as the women's basketball coach at Fresno State," said Boeh. "There are several reasons that Adrian has earned this position. The first and foremost is the stability he has brought to the Bulldog basketball program. He provided a solid foundation last season and his team was highly competitive and represented the University in a respectful manner. Secondly, his track record as a head collegiate coach is that of high achievement. He has led teams to the post season in three of his four seasons as a head coach, and just completed a record-setting season. We are very pleased to have Adrian continue the work he began last year."
In his first full season at the helm, Wiggins guided Fresno State to the best season in the program's 41-year history. The `Dogs finished 24-8 overall during the record-setting campaign, improving Wiggins' career record at Fresno State to 31-12 (.721). His overall collegiate head coaching record in three-plus seasons is 71-29 (.710).
After Wiggins, 32, took over the team in 2005, the Bulldogs would go on to win six of their final eight games, coast past SMU 71-53 in the WAC Tournament after earning a first-round bye and qualify for the postseason WNIT. The impressive finish gave the Bulldogs their sixth 20-win season in school history, As a result, Wiggins was appointed interim coach for the 2005-06 campaign.
"I want to thank Dr. John Welty and Thomas Boeh for this opportunity to continue as the head coach of the Bulldogs," said Wiggins. "I feel very fortunate to be in this position and I look forward to continuing to build the program. Our goal is to win the WAC and go to the NCAA tournament. We have made great strides the last two years and I think with the core of returning players we have coming back and the incoming players we have signed, we have a foundation that will help us accomplish those goals. We have a great group of young women who have given their heart and soul to Fresno State and I'm honored that I will be able to continue to work with them and lead them."
Under his direction, Fresno State advanced to the postseason for the second consecutive year (a program first) and treated fans to back-to-back home victories over UC Santa Barbara and UNLV in the opening rounds of the WNIT. The Bulldog's story-book season would come to an end three days later at Kansas State in the form of a heart-breaking 64-61 decision. The Wildcats went on to win the WNIT championship.
Despite the season-ending defeat, the 2005-06 Fresno State women's basketball team reached unprecedented heights under Wiggins. The Lawton, Okla., native, led the Bulldogs to a 14-2 WAC record that was good for second place, representing the best conference finish by any Fresno State team in school history. Among those wins was a benchmark 67-58 home victory over Louisiana Tech, the first triumph in 12 attempts against the four-time defending WAC champion Lady Techsters.
That victory would turn out to be just one of a school-best 15 home wins Fresno State posted during the 2005-06 campaign. To date, Fresno State has notched a 21-1 record under Wiggins in games played at the Save Mart Center and the club will enter 2006-07 riding a 12-game home winning streak.
However, the dominance has not been limited to just home games. Of the 31 victories under Wiggins, 25 have come by double-digit margins. The Bulldogs pieced together a season-best seven-game winning streak during the month of January to complement a pair of four-game winning streaks. Perhaps more impressively, Fresno State has never lost three games in a row under Wiggins and has suffered back-to-back losses only three times. Also in 2005-06, Fresno State made an appearance in the receiving votes category of the Associated Press poll for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Under Wiggins' watch, the Bulldogs racked up a number of individual accolades in 2005-06. Senior point guard Mirenda Swearengin was named WAC Player of the Year, becoming the first Bulldog to earn the honor since Wendy Martell was named PCAA Player of the Year in 1986-87. Senior forward Amy Parrish was named to the All-WAC first team for the second consecutive season, representing just the second time in school history Fresno State produced two first team honorees. Junior guard Jasmine Plummer was tabbed to the All-WAC Defensive Team, bringing the total of All-WAC performers during Wiggins' tenure to four.
Athletic accomplishments aside, Wiggins is most prideful of overseeing a program that has excelled academically while representing the university with integrity. The Bulldogs have posted a 3.0 team GPA in the two semesters during his tenure. Six members of the 2004-05 squad earned Academic All-WAC honors and five student-athletes accomplished the same feat this past year, the second most of any team in the WAC. In addition, Bulldog student-athletes continue to maintain a strong presence in the community, serving as role models to Valley youth while participating in various service functions.
Prior to leading Fresno State to a 7-4 ledger over the final 11 games of the 2004-05 campaign, Wiggins had previously served as the club's top assistant coach since his arrival in the summer of 2002. During that time, he supervised both preseason and postseason workouts, was involved with on-the-floor coaching and served as the camp director.
Prior to Fresno State, Wiggins served as the head coach at Cameron University, an NCAA Division II school in Lawton, Okla., from 2000-2002. In his first year at the helm, Cameron went 15-12 and qualified for the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament.
In 2001-02, Wiggins helped lead Cameron to its second best record in program history and the Lone Star Conference's North Division title. The Aggies finished 25-5 and received a berth in the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in their history. Cameron defeated Angelo State 80-73 in the first round before falling 64-61 to Saint Mary's (Texas).
Wiggins began his coaching career at Lawton High School, where he served as an assistant coach during the 1996-97 season. Wiggins was promoted to head coach the following year at Lawton High, serving as the Wolverines' skipper for two seasons before moving to Cameron.
A 1995 graduate of Cameron, Wiggins received his bachelor's degree in psychology and was a four-year member of the Aggie baseball squad. He also received a master of science degree in alternative studies from CU in 2001.
He and his wife, Heather, have a seven-year old daughter, Aubrey, and a four-year old son, William.
Year.....School (Record).....Postseason2000-01.....Cameron (15-12).....N/A2001-02.....Cameron (25-5).....NCAA Second Round2004-05.....Fresno State (*7-4).....WNIT First Round2005-06.....Fresno State (24-8).....WNIT Second RoundCareer Totals.....71-29Record at Fresno State.....31-12
* - Interim head coach for the final 11 games.
