Wooly Hatchell joins Lady Cajuns basketball staff

[NewsCopy]

2006 Sam Houston State women’s head basketball coach Wooley Hatchell resigned Tuesday afternoon to take a position at Louisiana. Hatchell, who has coached the Bearkats for the past three years, will be the associate head coach for the Ragin’ Cajuns under J. Kelley Hall. “The people and coaches at Louisiana-Lafayette are very old friends of mine,” Hatchell said in a phone interview Tuesday. “You don’t get too close to many people in this business, and we have talked about coaching together in the past. This was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. “I’m thankful to (athletic director) Bobby Williams and the university for giving me the opportunity to coach here. Huntsville has been good to me, and this was a tough decision to make.” Hatchell joined SHSU in the summer of 2003 with the task of turning around a program that hadn’t been to the Southland Conference postseason tournament since 2000. In his first season, the coach lead the Bearkats to the SLC tournament where the team came close to upsetting No. 1 seeded Northwestern State in the first round. The rest of the story Cody Stark

[DaddyCajun]

This is great news! Congrats to Wooly Hatchell and Welcome to the University of Louisiana! It is a great honor to get not only a head coach from another D-1 University but also someone who is a good friend of the Co-Head Coaches, The Halls, as this will add to the unity and fire that has been started at UL.

DaddyCajun!!

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. – Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns basketball program announced a new addition to its staff on Thursday as co-head coaches J. Kelley and Meredith Hall announced the hiring of James Hatchell as their assistant coach. Hatchell, the former women’s basketball head coach at Sam Houston State, replaces Bill Damuth who resigned last month to take a coaching position at Trinity Valley Community College. Hatchell’s hiring is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. Hatchell joins the Ragin’ Cajuns after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Sam Houston State. He joined SHSU in the summer of 2003 with the task of reviving a program that hadn’t been to the Southland Conference Tournament since 2000. In his first season, he led the Bearkats to the SLC Tournament where the team came close to upsetting top seed Northwestern State in the first round. Prior to his stint at SHSU, he served as assistant coach at Rice University for 10 seasons. “I’ve known James (Hatchell) for a long time and we’ve talked about coaching together in the past,” J. Kelley Hall said. “When he learned of the opening on our staff he felt the move would be a great opportunity for him and it works to our benefit as we find a new assistant coach who has ties to the Texas recruiting trails.” Hatchell is familiar with UL program as the Cajuns and SHSU competed in a home-and-home series with a game in Lafayette during the 2004-05 season and a game in Huntsville, Texas, last season. Before taking charge of the Sam Houston staff in 2003, Hatchell played a key role in the Rice women’s basketball program that rolled up a 10-year mark of 170-120. His tenure at Rice included four post-season tournament appearances – the Women's National Invitation Tournament in 1998, 1999, and 2002 and Rice's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. The Owls produced four 20-win seasons and had a winning record in each of his final seven seasons with the Houston-based school. Before coaching at Rice, Hatchell was an assistant at Western Kentucky. Prior to his move to the college scene, Hatchell coached girls' basketball for 10 years in the high school and AAU ranks in South Carolina. Hatchell graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1982. LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

University of Louisiana co-head women's basketball coaches J. Kelley Hall and Meredith Hall are bringing an old friend into the fold. James "Wooly" Hatchell, head women's coach at Sam Houston State for the past three seasons, will fill the Cajuns' assistant opening created when four-year staff veteran Bill Damuth took the head position at Trinity Valley (Texas) Community College. "We've known him a long time," Kelley Hall said of Hatchell. "We talked several times about if the opportunity ever presented itself, we'd like to work together. When you lose someone of Bill's caliber it's hard, but when one door closes another opens." "In this business you never know when an opportunity like this will come around again," said Hatchell, who was an assistant at Western Kentucky and Rice before taking over at Sam Houston. "This is going to give me the opportunity to work with an old friend. This is something we've always wanted to do. If I'd let this opportunity pass by, I would have regretted it." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

I listened to the Cincinnati-Hall interview and he stated that he only hires recruiters. "EVERYBODY RECRUITS"

Well with the early signing period approaching I hope coach Wooley Hatchell is still on the job recruiting.

With his background and association with UL, it seems to me coach Hatchell would have to be on the short list of HC candidates.

[DaddyCajun]

_ I listened to the Cincinnati-Hall interview and he stated that he only hires recruiters. "EVERYBODY RECRUITS"

Well with the early signing period approaching I hope coach Wooley Hatchell is still on the job recruiting.

With his background and association with UL, it seems to me coach Hatchell would have to be on the short list of HC candidates. _

I agree Turbine, and with Coach Hatchell having HC experience this will boad well for him. He also knows what all is needed to bring the program to another level along with all the fund raising and facility enchancing yet to do.

I hope too that he is continuing on the recruiting trail and has some great ones in the helm.

A couple of good young assistants with coach Hatchell could really go along way.

DaddyCajun

[CajunCherokee]

Sorry, but is Hatchell going to be our head coach or an assistant coach with the Cajuns?

[Turbine]

_ Sorry, but is Hatchell going to be our head coach or an assistant coach with the Cajuns? _

Hatchell was hired to be associate head coach. (a term I never heard again)

Right now he is in limbo I guess.