Following up on a rumor that HoopDirt.com posted last week (DII DIRT)…
SWOSU Athletic Director Todd Thurman has announced that Terry Evans – a veteran of collegiate coaching in the state of Oklahoma – has been appointed as the new Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
A press conference to introduce Evans will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 pm in the Skyview Suite of the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
“We could not be more ecstatic to be bringing in a coach the caliber of Terry Evans to lead the Men’s Basketball team here at Southwestern Oklahoma State University,” Thurman said. “He is a proven winner at all levels, having won championships both in college and while coaching at the high school level. His success at the NCAA Division II level speaks for itself and we are thrilled to welcome him to SWOSU!”
Evans brings 24 years of coaching experience – 21 years as a head coach – to SWOSU, most recently as the head coach at Edmond North High School for the last three seasons. He led Edmond North to the OSSAA Class 6A State Championship in 2017 with a 27-2 record after finishing 27-1 with a state final appearance in 2016.
Before returning to the high school level, Evans had a very successful tenure at Central Oklahoma that spanned 13 seasons (2002-15) and saw him leave as the winningest coach in school history with a record of 263-124. He averaged better than 20 wins per season at UCO with eight 20-win seasons and the winningest season in program history when he led the Bronchos to a 30-4 record during the 2010-11 season. Evans led the Bronchos to seven NCAA Division II National Tournament Appearances – including the Elite Eight in 2007-08 – and five Lone Star Conference North Division Championships.
“First of all, I would like to thank Coach Thurman, the search committee and the administration at SWOSU for giving me the opportunity to lead Bulldog Basketball,” Evans said. “I’ve competed against SWOSU and come to Weatherford for years and I think that we have everything in place that we need for us to win immediately. I think we have an opportunity to bring in some really good student-athletes to represent our program and we have some of the best facilities and support in all of NCAA Division II. I’m excited about the challenge and ready to hit the ground running!”
Evans went to UCO after serving as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Oklahoma in 2001-02 when the Sooners went 31-5, won the Big 12 Conference Tournament and made their first Final Four appearance since 1988. He started his coaching career as an assistant at TCU in 1994 before coaching stints at Edmond Santa Fe High School and Chickasha High School.
From 1997-01, Evans was highly successful as the head coach at Midwest City High School, leading the Bombers to a phenomenal 100-11 record and three Class 6A State Championships in just four years. His first team was 25-3 and won the state crown in 1997-98 before falling in the state semifinals with a 23-4 record the following year. Evans led Midwest City to back-to-back 26-2 seasons and consecutive state titles in his final two years before moving on to OU.
As a player, Evans also experienced great success, winning three State Championships at Millwood High School before moving on to play at the University of Oklahoma from 1988-93. A four-year starter for the Sooners and a three-time Academic All-Big Eight selection, Evans finished his career as OU’s career leader in 3-pointers (259), 3-point attempts (698) and assists (658).
http://swosuathletics.com/news/2018/3/12/MBB_031218_Evans-Hired.aspx
