Tulsa Names Matilda Mossman Head Women’s Basketball Coach

Mossman, former girls head coach at Norman HS was introduced as TU’s new head coach Tuesday.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:17 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa Names Matilda Mossman Head Women’s Basketball Coach

Originally Published: Mar 22, 2011 2:24 PM CDT

Layna Dewell
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma—The University of Tulsa has appointed Matilda Mossman as the new head women’s basketball coach.

TU Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham introduced Mossman at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

“Today is a great day for women’s college basketball and a great day for basketball at the University of Tulsa,” said Cunningham. "We're extremely pleased to welcome Matilda Mossman to the TU family. She is motivated, enthusiastic and has an infectious personality. Matilda has created great relationships throughout the state and the basketball community."

“I hope this is just the beginning of a new level of excitement and interest in our basketball program here,” said Mossman. “I think we have every reason to be successful here, there’s going to be change because if you keep doing what you’ve always done then you going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten.”

Coach Mossman joins the Golden Hurricane squad after eight years as the head coach of the girl’s team at Norman High School where her teams compiled an overall 191-53 record for a .796 winning percentage.

The Norman Lady Tigers won the state championship in 2005 and made it to the state tournament eight years in a row.

This past season, Norman amassed 19-9 record before losing in the state quarterfinals.

In more than 16 years as a head coach, Mossman has compiled a 341-148 record for a .697 winning percentage. She has served as a head collegiate coach for eight years, while coaching on the high school level for the last nine seasons.

“My expectation is that this is a group that is hungry to be successful said Mossman and we are going to bring in a staff that gives them their best shot to do that every day.”

Mossman has earned the Mid-State Conference Coach of the year three different times and has twice been honored as the Regional Coach of the Year as well and the Norman Public Schools Coach of the Year two times.

More importantly, Mossman is no stranger to coaching at the collegiate level. She coached at Arkansas from 1981 to 1984 as well as Kansas State from 1984-1989.

Mossman graduated from Western Kentucky University with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1979 and she earned her master’s degree in education in 1980. Mossman served as an assistant coach for the Hilltoppers in 1979.

After she graduated, Mossman served as an assistant coach at Arkansas for one year before she took over as head coach in 1981. At the age of 24 Mossman took the promotion and was a member of the same athletic department staff with athletic director Frank Broyles, head football coach Lou Holtz and men's basketball coach Eddie Sutton.

In just one season, the Razorbacks transformed from an 11-18 team into a 26-10 squad that broke every single-season team record at Arkansas.

Before her appointment at Norman High School, Mossman spent one year as the assistant girls basketball coach at Norman North High School, and that team completed the season with a 22-4 record and advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals. Before moving to Norman, Mossman spent seven years (1994-2001) as a health & physical education teacher and girls basketball coach at Normal (Ill.) Community High School.

From there Mossman coached for five years at Kansas State where she compiled an 83-68 record and was named the Big Eight Coach of the Year after the 1986-87 team won the conference title.

"I have come full circle. My first job out of college was at the University level, then I took time off to raise my children and spend time with them. Once my youngest son, Matt, graduated from high school it was time to be looking again," added Mossman. "I had a great situation at Norman High. We were well respected around the state and we were clued in for success for a long, long time, but my dream was to get back to the college level. When the Tulsa job came open it was very appealing to me. The University of Tulsa is the right fit for me."

Mossman replaces Charlene Thomas-Swinson whose contract was not renewed this season after the Golden Hurricane finished at 5-20 overall and 1-15 in conference play this year. Swinson finishes her six year career at Tulsa with a 72-103 record.

Mossman said she will be joined by assistant coaches Shane Coffey who was the head girls basketball coach at Edmond Memorial as well as her former player Britney Brown who played at both Norman and the University of Oklahoma. She said they still have a few coaching positions to fill, but that they are wasting no time in working toward their goal of a conference title which Mossman says will come sooner, rather than later.

She has two sons, Scott, 23, and Matt, 19.

MOSSMAN'S YEAR-BY-YEAR HEAD COACHING RECORD
COLLEGE

1981-82 Arkansas 26-10 AIAW National Tournament "Sweet Sixteen"
1982-83 Arkansas 21-8
1983-84 Arkansas 20-9
1984-85 Kansas State 16-13
1985-86 Kansas State 16-13
1986-87 Kansas State 22-9 Big 8 Conference Champions
1987-88 Kansas State 8-20
1988-89 Kansas State 18-11

HIGH SCHOOL

2002-03 Norman High School 12-11
2003-04 Norman High School 25-2 State Semifinalist, Conference Champions
2004-05 Norman High School 25-3 State Champion, Conference Champions
2005-06 Norman High School 24-3 State Semifinalist, Conference Champions
2006-07 Norman High School 21-6 State Quarterfinalist
2007-08 Norman High School 21-6 State Semifinalist
2008-09 Norman High School 21-7 State Semifinalist
2009-10 Norman High School 23-6 State Runner-up
2010-11 Norman High School 19-9 State Quarterfinalist