Tulsa Names Matilda Mossman as Head Women's Basketball Coach
3/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 22, 2011
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Matilda Mossman was appointed as the head women's basketball coach at The University of Tulsa, it was announced today by Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham. Most recently a prep coach in Oklahoma, Mossman previously held head coaching stints on the collegiate level at both the University of Arkansas and Kansas State University.
In over 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.
I'm extremely excited about the opportunity that exists at The University of Tulsa. We can be successful here. I think we have the right kind of athletes in place, where we'll just need to plug a few positions. I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be a great experience," said Mossman.
"We're extremely pleased to welcome Matilda Mossman to the TU family. She has achieved success both on the collegiate level at Arkansas and Kansas State, and recently as a high school coach. Matilda has had teams win a Big Eight Conference Championship at Kansas State and a state title at Norman High School," said Cunningham. "She is motivated, enthusiastic and has an infectious personality. Matilda has created great relationships throughout the state and the basketball community."
"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 spent the past nine years as the head basketball coach at Norman, where her teams compiled an overall 191-53 record for a .796 winning percentage. Her teams qualified for the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) Class 6A state tournament in each of the last eight seasons.
Her prep teams won eight straight regional championships and advanced to the state semifinals six times, while winning 20+ games in seven of those seasons. Mossman led Norman High School to the state title in 2005 with an overall 25-3 record.
This past year, Mossman coached the Norman team to a 19-9 record and advanced to the state quarterfinals. A year earlier, Mossman's team posted a 23-6 record and finished as the Class 6A state runner-up. Her teams also made the state semifinals in 2003-04, 2005-06, 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Mossman coached various players at Norman High School who earned college scholarships, including Division I student-athletes Sarah Gaylor (New Orleans), Sade Morris (Kansas), Kara Vaughan (Tulsa), Taylor Hardeman (Oklahoma State) and Ashley Bruner (South Carolina).
She was named the conference coach of the year three times, while earning regional and district coach of the year accolades twice.
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.
Mossman began her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, Western Kentucky University, in 1979. The next season, Mossman served as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas.
A year later, at age 24, Mossman was promoted to the head coaching position at Arkansas. She 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.
With three freshmen starters, Mossman's first Lady Razorback squad in 1981-82 compiled a 26-10 record and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the final AIAW National Tournament. It was the first of three straight 20-win seasons at Arkansas. Mossman posted four winning seasons in five years at Kansas State, while her 1987 Wildcat team won the Big Eight Conference Championship and posted an overall 22-9 record. She was named the Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year for the 1986-87 campaign.
In eight years as a collegiate head coach, Mossman registered an overall 150-95 record. She had a 67-27 mark in three seasons at Arkansas and an 83-68 mark at Kansas State in five years.
Following her stint at Kansas State, Mossman served as an assistant coach at Illinois State under WBCA Hall of Fame Coach Jill Hutchison for three seasons (1991-94). She left the collegiate coaching profession following the 1993-94 season to spend time raising her two sons, while also teaching and coaching in Illinois.
Mossman referred to her friendship with former Norman High School athletic director Ross Parmley, now an associate athletic director at Tulsa, in making the Golden Hurricane coaching position intriguing to her in the first place.
"The reason I went to Norman High School was because of Ross Parmley. I wasn't looking to stay in coaching when we moved to Norman, but Ross' style and leadership as an athletic director was something I wanted to be around. He was really good at seeing the big picture. I'm a big picture person. The same can be said for the administration at The University of Tulsa," said Mossman. "When I met Crista (Troester) and Bubba it was obvious that they're first-class individuals. They have vision and think outside the box. I'm elated to be associated with that kind of leadership."
Mossman earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1979 and her graduate degree in education in 1980, both from Western Kentucky.
She has two sons, Scott, 23, and Matt, 19.
MOSSMAN'S YEAR-BY-YEAR HEAD COACHING RECORD COLLEGE Year School Record Postseason 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 18-11HIGH SCHOOL Year School Record 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
