Grambling State University Director of Athletics Troy Mathieu announced Thursday that Donnita Drain, the architect of the Langston University basketball revival and the reigning two-time Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region III Coach of the Year, as the new head women’s basketball coach of Grambling State University.
The hiring of Drain, a native of Taloga, Okla., is pending approval from the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System.
“We are truly excited to have Donnita Drain as our new head women’s basketball coach at Grambling State University.” said Mathieu. “She brings an unbelievable work ethic, a tremendous amount of energy and impressive credentials to the position.”
Drain arrives in Grambling after a 13-year tenure at Langston University in Oklahoma. During her time at Langston, Drain has rewritten the record books as she’s the most successful head coach in school history with 244 wins, six NAIA Division I National Tournament Appearances, two Red River Athletic Conference Championships (RRAC), four
20-win seasons, one 30-win campaign and a total of 48 players who’ve received either All-American, Academic All-American, All-Conference and Player of the Year honors.
Under Drain’s watchful eye, the LU women’s basketball program emerged as a national power over the past three seasons as the Lady Lions finished the 2007-08 season ranked sixth in the NAIA Division I National Ratings and a No. 2 seed in the 2007-08 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. Drain guided Langston to an 84-12 mark during that span along with an impressive 34-game undefeated conference winning streak that culminated with an Elite 8 and Sweet 16 finishes in the NAIA Division I National Tournament.
As a result of her success on the court, Drain caught the eye of USA Basketball and was selected as a court coach for the 2007 USA Basketball Women’s National Teams Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.
A 1990 graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Drain was a two-time NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honoree and currently ranks third all-time in points scored among school scoring leaders with 1,916 during a decorated four-year career that was topped off by being named the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990 in addition to being inducted into her school’s hall-of fame in 1997. Drain also holds single-game school records in points (48), field goals (21) and free throw percentage (100%).
Drain holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Health and Physical Education with an Endorsement in Biology from Northwestern Oklahoma State in 1990 and a Master’s of Education in Educational Administration from Texas A&M at Commerce (formerly named East Texas State) in 1995. Active in the community, Drain holds memberships in Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the Black Coaches Association (BCA) and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). In addition, Drain is a sought-after public speaker and clinician as she’s conducted several speaking engagements in the state of Oklahoma along with being active on the summer basketball camp circuit.
