With news circulating that University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball coach Shawn Poppie has accepted the same position at Clemson, the Times Free Press takes a look at five intriguing names to replace him:
Jon Goldberg, UTC assistant: Goldberg has been with the women's program since Jim Foster brought him in as a 23-year old graduate assistant in 2014. He's since been a part of 10 Southern Conference championships (five regular-season, five tournament titles) and has been a primary architect of the roster in place. Jada Guinn, the 2024 SoCon tournament MVP, said that Goldberg was a primary reason she chose UTC when leaving Tennessee Tech after four seasons.
Matt Insell, Middle Tennessee State assistant: Ten years ago Insell was a fast-rising assistant coach, getting his first head coaching gig at Ole Miss in 2013 after a five-year run as an assistant to Matthew Mitchell at Kentucky. He led the Rebels to a pair of Women's National Invitation Tournament appearances and 70 wins in five years, including a 19-win campaign in his second season. He was fired after the 2018 season and has since been serving as an assistant to his father, legendary coach Rick Insell, helping the Blue Raiders to three NCAA tournament appearances in the past four seasons, including a first-round win over Louisvlle this year.
Alaura Sharp, Presbyterian College head coach: Sharp took over the smallest Division I program in the country, one with no D-I history to speak of, and built the Blue Hose into a competitor in the Big South Conference. That included a school record 21 wins this season and advancing to the program's first-ever NCAA tournament after a win in the play-in round over Sacred Heart. The record (76-101) isn't the best, but the situation is also one of the worst in the country and she's succeeded.
Jonneshia Pineda, Louisville associate head coach: Pineda has some familiarity with the South, having played collegiately at Division II power Georgia Southwestern State University. She worked her way up the coaching ranks from graduate manager, video coordinator and assistant coach at Georgia Tech to her current position with the Cardinals, where she's helped the program win a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championships and earned four trips to the Elite Eight, plus the 2022 Final Four.
Samantha Williams, Tennessee assistant: Williams has some head coaching experience, having taken an Eastern Kentucky group that was 2-27 the year before she took over and helped build the Colonel program that this season won 22 games and advanced to the WNIT. Williams is known as an elite recruiter.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.