Three-year Prairie View A&M head women’s basketball coach Toyelle Wilson resigned today to join the Baylor University women’s basketball coaching staff under Kim Mulkey.
“I appreciate the opportunities that I have been given at Prairie View A&M,” stated Wilson. “I would like to especially thank Dr. Wright and Fred Washington for their continuous guidance and support over these past seven years. It has been a very rewarding journey. I want to thank my coaches, the fans, the alumni and the players for their commitment to making Prairie View A&M one of the premier basketball programs in the country.”
Wilson finished her third season at Prairie View A&M as the most successful coach in Prairie View A&M women’s basketball history. In just three seasons, Wilson has proven to be the most efficient in program history with three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in as many seasons. Wilson has coached the Lady Panthers to a perfect 9-0 record in Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament play. She leaves Prairie View A&M with a 36-18 Southwestern Athletic Conference record and a 55-43 overall record.
“Coach Toyelle Wilson has been a great asset to our athletic program,” Prairie View A&M University President Dr. George C. Wright said. “During her tenure as a head coach she led us to three post-season opportunities that amounted in national exposure and coverage. We wish her well as she leaves to join Baylor.”
Wilson coached the 2013 SWAC Player of the Year Latia Williams and the SWAC Tournament MVP Kiara Etienne on a team that finished its season with a 17-15 record following an opening-round NCAA Tournament loss to Mulkey and No. 1 seeded Baylor. Wilson is the only coach in Prairie View A&M basketball history (Men’s or Women’s) to have a winning record in each of his or her seasons.
Entering the 2011-12 season with two returning letterwinners from her 2011 SWAC Championship team, Wilson rallied her team together just in time to make a postseason run. The Lady Panthers won their final six games against SWAC conference opponents, including three in the conference tournament en route to their second-consecutive SWAC Tournament Championship and NCAA tournament appearance, finishing the season with a 17-16 record.
At the age of 30, Wilson was the youngest coach in the 2012 NCAA Tournament as her team faced one of the most legendary coaches in Geno Aurema in the first round of the regional in Bridgeport, Conn.
Two players earned 2012 SWAC post-season honors under Wilson’s watch. Junior guard Latia Williams won the SWAC Tournament MVP award, which complemented her First Team All-SWAC selection. Junior guard Kiara Etienne earned SWAC Newcomer of the Year and was named Second Team All-SWAC.
In her first season as head coach, Wilson made history as she led the Lady Panthers to their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and the 2011 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. Prairie View A&M finished with an overall mark of 21-12 in Wilson’s inaugural season which included a 14-4 record in SWAC play. Individually, three members earned All-SWAC honors under Wilson’s watch as seniors Robin Jones and Dominique Smith earned second team honors while freshman Siarra Soliz was named SWAC Tournament MVP and SWAC Freshman of the Year. Statistically, Wilson also made her presence felt defensively as Prairie View A&M finished seventh nationally amongst 333 NCAA Division I institutions in field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal percentage defense and 10th in scoring defense.
Courtesy: PVAMU Sports Information
