Chanda Rigby named Troy women’s basketball head coach
Published 3:32 pm Wednesday, April 11, 2012
After a month long search, Troy University has named its new women’s basketball head coach.
Chanda Rigby was announced as the new face of the program in a press release by the Troy athletics department.
Rigby comes to Troy after serving seven seasons as head coach at Pensacola State College. While at the helm of the Lady Pirates program, Rigby produced staggering numbers. The team finished a remarkable 35-1 in 2010-11 then followed with a 22-4 mark last season.
Pensacola won the Panhandle Conference championship on its way to finishing third in the nation.
“We are very excited about the addition of Chanda to our Troy Family,” Troy Athletic Director Steve Dennis said in the release. “I would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in this nationwide search. Chanda is an outstanding fit for Troy University. She is a proven championship winner and someone that will lead our program to another level in the Sun Belt Conference and nationally.”
Rigby, a Franklinton, La., native, brings over 20 years of coaching experience from three levels of competition. At Loranger High School, Rigby’s teams played for three state titles – winning two. She was also named Louisiana Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2000.
Rigby took over at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., which finished 1-26 the year before her arrival. The team finished with a winning record in her first season.
Troy’s new coach led Holmes Community College for four seasons where the squad rose as high in the rankings as 12th nationally.
“My overall goal at Troy is to have the women’s basketball program be a proper reflection of the institution it represents,” Rigby said in the release. “Troy is such a progressive place; it is Alabama’s gateway to the world. It is innovative, progressive and successful and I want the women’s basketball program to reflect that as well.”
In becoming just the fourth head coach since Troy began the women’s program in 1975, Rigby replaces Michael Murphy who was relieved in March after 10 seasons on the Trojans bench.
Murphy left with a 110-178 career record, which included a 2-26 mark last season.
Rigby earned her bachelor’s degree in English education and master’s degree in education from Southeastern Louisiana University.