10th Coach To Leave School In Last 9 Months
EDINBURG, TEXAS -- DeAnn Craft was the winningest coach in UTPA women's basketball history, but when faced with an athletic department that seemingly offered less and less support each passing day, less support for recruiting, less support for scholarships, less support for her program that she had helped build from the ground up, she felt she was being slowly pushed out.
Then, Pan-American Interim Athletic Director Ricky Vaughn came to her with an ultimatum.
An extension or renewal of her contract at Pan-Am was directly tied to team wins in the 09-10 season.
Specifically, 18 wins or else she would be gone.
This despite UTPA had just finished the most successful season in team history. A 14-win season.
So unless there was an unprecedented 29 percent increase in victories, the Lady Broncs coach would be shown the door.
DeAnn Craft didn't need a map to see the direction this was going, and so she showed herself out, resigning on Friday, effective immediately.
A visibly emotional Coach Craft talked with Action 4 Sports reporter Darren Haynes, and couldn't help but note that she was the 10th coach, including assistants, that had either been escorted from the Pan-American premises (literally in the case of former mens hoops coach Tom Schuberth) or left UTPA of their own accord.
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