4/18/2016 basketball Edit

Sources: Brooke Stoehr to lead the Lady Techsters

Jonathan Ford • BleedTechBlue

Columnist

Jonathan Ford is the former Publisher of BleedTechBlue.com. He now lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Allison and is an IT Director for Concept Technology. Ford graduated from Tech in 2006.

According to sources, one of Louisiana Tech's own will return to Ruston to coach the Lady Techsters in Brooke Stoehr.

Brooke Stoehr argues a call at Tennessee during the NCAA Tournament in 2014.

During her playing days, she was known as Brooke Lassiter and won four regular-season conference titles and conference tournament crowns, while only losing one conference game. The 2001 All-Sun Belt Conference selection ended her career ranked as the NCAA Division I all-time career free throw percentage leader at 91.5 percent, hitting 268 of 292 attempts. As a senior, Stoehr was named an NCAA post-graduate scholarship finalist, WAC All-Academic, NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, Verizon Academic All-District VI and National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American.

As a Lady Techster from 1998-2002 she served as a two-year captain and starting point guard as a junior and senior, while leading the Lady Techsters to an impressive 119-16 mark under legendary coach Leon Barmore. She was instrumental in leading Louisiana Tech to four NCAA Championship appearances, including the Final Four in 1999 and two more Elite Eight appearances.

A native of Hamburg, Ark. Stoehr was a Parade All-American and also Arkansas and Southwest Region Gatorade Player of the Year.

Brooke and Scott Stoehr celebrate the 2015 Southland Conference Championship with their children Aubrey and Cooper.

As a coach Stoehr began her career at Arkansas-Little Rock before returning to Tech coaching under Chris Long. Following her time in Ruston, she went to Southern Mississippi then to Texas Tech before landing her first head coaching job at Northwestern State.

During her time at Northwestern State, she turned a program around that won just two conference games before her arrival. In her first season (2012-13) they doubled their win total from the year before and qualified for the Southland Conference Tournament. The second year was even better as Northwestern State won the Southland Conference Tournament and their first 20-win season in 10 years. The next two seasons were more of the same as Northwestern State won the conference tournament both years.

Off the court, Northwestern State finished the 2014-15 season with a 3.461 grade-point average, the 16th-highest mark in the nation and fifth among teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Every one of Stoehr’s players who has finished her eligibility also has earned her college degree.

Louisiana Tech will hold a press conference Tuesday at 2:30 P.M. to announce the hiring of Brooke Stoehr as head coach of the Lady Techsters.