PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State University Director of Athletics Pat Chun announced Wednesday that Women's Basketball Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has signed a one-year contract extension keeping her in Pullman through the 2028-29 season.
"Coach Ethridge is the best women's basketball head coach in the country and we are excited to have her lead our program for many years to come," said Chun. "To watch her and her staff pour their hearts into our student-athletes and transform our program these past five years has been amazing. Our program now lives at the highest levels of college basketball and we are appreciative of her commitment to WSU."
Coach Ethridge has continued to raise the bar every season she has been on the Palouse. The Hall of Famer has brought her winning ways to Pullman, quickly elevating the WSU women's basketball program into the upper echelon of the college women's basketball landscape. Ethridge guided Washington State to its first Pac-12 title in any female team sport by winning the 2023 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Championship in Las Vegas.
"I am sincerely honored to have signed a contract extension that will allow me to lead the Cougar women's basketball program for years to come," said Ethridge. "I want to thank WSU President Kirk Shultz, Athletic Director Pat Chun, and Deputy Athletic Director Anne McCoy for their undeterred support, and for their vision regarding the potential of this program to become nationally competitive. Their firm commitment to providing an elite network of support services for our student-athletes is allowing us to attract student-athletes with exciting-to-watch talent, exceptional character, and the highest of aspirations!"
Washington State has seen its win total increase each season under Ethridge, as she has navigated the Cougars from the Pac-12 basement to Pac-12 Champions in just five short seasons. Since coming to Pullman, Ethridge has led the Cougs to the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, made three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2021, 2022, 2023), and set program records for most wins in a regular season with 23 victories in 2022-23, breaking the 44-year-old single-season program record of 21 wins set by the 1978-79 team. Ethridge's 2020-21 WSU team set the program record for the highest regular season finish in the Pac-12, ending the season tied for second place with Oregon. The Cougars also won a school-record 11 Pac-12 games in 2020-21 en route to the program's second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Ethridge helped Washington State make its first appearance in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll in school history during the 2020-21 season, as the Cougars were ranked No. 25 in the Jan. 12, 2021, AP Top-25 Poll.
Coach Ethridge brought in arguably her most talented roster to Washington State in the 2022-23 season. The Cougars won a program-record 23 games last season and captured the program's first-ever Pac-12 Women's Basketball Championship. Ethridge guided WSU from the No. 7 seed in the tournament to claim the school's first Pac-12 title in a women's team sport by winning four games in five days in Sin City. The Cougs knocked off three straight ranked teams in Las Vegas en route to the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, beating No. 3/4 Utah in the Pac-12 quarterfinals (66-58), No. 20/21 Colorado in the semifinals (61-49), and No. 19/16 UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship Game (65-61). It marked the first time in program history that Washington State had won consecutive games against ranked teams, while the win against No. 3/4 Utah was the highest-ranked team that Washington State has ever defeated in program history.
Ethridge's success at Washington State during the 2022-23 season earned her National Coach of the Year honors from The Athletic, making Ethridge the first WSU women's basketball head coach to be named a National Coach of the Year by any National publication.
Washington State's success in Las Vegas helped the Cougars make their first appearance in the Associate Press Top-25 Poll since the 2020-21 season, as Washington State came in at No. 22 in the March 6, 2023 AP Top-25 Poll. The No. 22 ranking set a program record for the highest ranking in the AP Top-25 Poll in program history. WSU was ranked No. 23 in the March 13 AP Top-25 Poll, marking the first time in school history that the Cougs were ranked for consecutive weeks.
"This past year of my WSU tenure unleashed historic achievements and thrilling emotions," expressed Ethridge. "Winning our first-ever Pac-12 Championship has validated the program as one of the nation's best! As we work to qualify for a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament and compete for a second Pac-12 Championship, it is essential that we elevate our home attendance to new levels as well! It is crucial that the WSU and Pullman community help us in our efforts to rise to new heights in the Pac-12 Conference and national attendance! Six of our Pac-12 women's programs average over 3,500 fans per game. Our challenge WSU, Pullman, and all of COUG Nation, is to become the seventh."
Ethridge is 74-75 overall through five seasons at Washington State. Her 74 wins are the most by a fifth-year coach in WSU women's basketball history. Ethridge was named the 2022 Pac-12 Coach of the Year by the media after guiding the Cougars to 19 wins in 2021-22. The Cougs posted a school-record second-place finish in the Pac-12 standings in 2021-22 after winning a program-record 11 Pac-12 games. The Cougars' 29 Pac-12 wins collected over the last three seasons (2020-23) are the fifth-most Pac-12 wins by a school. Ethridge has also dominated the Boeing Apple Cup Series during her tenure on the Palouse, as she is 8-2 against Washington. The eight wins over the Huskies are the most by a WSU head coach in program history. Washington State has won 10 games against ranked teams under Coach Ethridge. Four of those 10 wins have come against teams ranked inside the top 10. The Cougars set a program record with six wins over ranked teams in 2022-23.
Ethridge has brought in elite talent from all over the globe during her tenure at Washington State, which includes New Zealand native and three-time All-American Honorable Mention selection Charlisse Leger-Walker. WSU players such as Ula Motuga (Australia), Johanna Teder (Estonia), Bella Murekatete (Rwanda), Krystal Leger-Walker (New Zealand) Jessica Clarke (Canada), Tara Wallack (Canada), Astera Tuhina (Kosovo) have gone on to play for their national team programs.
WSU has the pieces in place for another run at an NCAA Tournament bid in 2023-24, as the Cougars return four of their five starters from last season's Pac-12 Championship squad, including three-time All-American Charlisse Leger-Walker, and All-Pac-12 Tournament selection Bella Murekatete.
"ESPN's 'Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2023-24' has our program ranked No. 23 in the nation! Let's work together to continue to impact, rattle and shake up the Pac-12 and national women's basketball landscape by creating an environment in Beasley Arena that our opponents dread," said Ethridge. "I want to challenge all of COUG NATION to become a part of elevating WSU Women's Basketball to Top-25 nationally in attendance as well. The best is yet to come! GO COUGS!"
Ethridge was named the head coach of WSU women's basketball on April 15, 2018. She came to Pullman following four seasons as the head coach at the University of Northern Colorado, where she posted a combined 83 victories and led the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18, her final season at UNC.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Washington State women's basketball season are now on sale at WSUCougars.com or by calling the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
