The New Mexico State women's basketball team lost on Wednesday to end the careers of seniors Madison Spence, Danisha Corbett and Jasmine Lowe.
The question now is who will coach the team next year.
Darin Spence's contract expires after this season after signing a contract extension following NMSU's 25-9 year two years ago after the Aggies reached the WAC Tournament championship for the third straight year. Things haven't gone well since then.
McKinley Boston said he planned to meet with Spence either today or tomorrow. Boston would not say either way if he would consider another extension at this point.
"I have no idea," Spence said following the Aggies' quarterfinal loss on Thursday. "This is my last year and I've heard nothing since last summer. We were below .500, but we have been competitive all year. We have been banged up. I count probably five games that I wish we could have back. We played a tough tough schedule."
Spence said NMSU administration did not set a number of wins or a WAC Tournament title prior to the season. But he said he has not sat down with Boston or NMSU officials since June.
Highlights since extending his deal include wins over Michigan, ranked Kansas and a berth in the WNIT last year.
"I have just been told to be competitive," he said. "I took over a dismal, forgotten, neglected program and went to three WAC championship games and beat nationally ranked teams.
"We have to turn over every rock we can find in recruiting. We have good kids. I would be the first one to say that I wish we could win more games. But are we getting killed? Are we getting drilled? Are we embarassing? I guess that's not for me to decide. I've spent eight years and just poured my soul and guts and everything and my family into this program. Do I want to be here? Ya."
4 comments:
Jason,
Will you be surprised if Spence is let go? Its hard for me to comprehend while Boston would let him go. The past two years have not been great but for those three years he was at the cusp of taking this team to its first NCAA tourney in years. If Menzies and Walker have so many issues trying to raise money I can only imagine what Spence is going through. I think he has done a great job with the resources that he has and I cant see another coach here who is as passionate about his job as he is. I mean who is willing to sleep in a tent to sell tickets for his girls? Womens basketball is going through the same disparity that mens basketball went through in earlier decades and I dont see how Boston can feel that anyone else will come in and give him better results.
CA
I can NOT believe Coach Spence was forced to resign! Sometimes Coaches have off years, this one wasn't a total failure. There were a ton of team injuries! You can't overlook that. You can't overlook the fact that this man slept in a tent to sell tickets. You can't overlook at WNIT invite just LAST season! You can't overlook going to 3 WAC championship games, or beating NATIONALLY RANKED teams!!!! The AD already had in mind that he didn't want to extend his contract hence meeting only ONCE since LAST JUNE! How horrible to pour everything you have into a program and you have NO support from the inside!! Dr. Boston should be FIRED. This is a HUGE loss for the program and the community!!!! Spence should get his job back!!
I know for a fact the idiot AD had no intention of bringing Spence back. He has openly talked negatively about him over the past five years, evan at booster events. Sure the coach could've used a few more wins, but how classless is Boston? You let the coach dangle, lame duck all year and showed zero support for the guy. The job now, due to the efforts of Coach Spence, is much better and much easier. We will get someone in here who will believe the Boston lies and will think its better than it really is. The league will also be much weaker in a year; no Boise St, Fresno St, Nevada and Hawaii. All will be gone, making it softer with only La Tech to run away with it. Coach Spence took a program funded at the 6th place level, had coaching salaries in the 7th/8th place level. He fought through and finished 3d, 4th a couple times and 5th. He went to 3 WAC championships and took a team to post season play for only the FOURTH time in program history! That's amazing. Spence is a good guy, a passionate guy, he embraced this community and all that NMSU was. Our AD is a joke. I am happy I supported the WBB program, coach Spence & the FBC club the past 8 years and will miss coach a great deal. We are losing a good person who worked hard for his program. Good luck coach.
How sad. I just read these comments and I couldn't agree more. What a major loss. All this fuss about Mens BBall and the contract extension of Menzies, how come no one has said anything about this MISTAKE?! That Coach Spence should have had a contract extension that year at the WNIT!! Wow! What in the world?? Women's athletics are just as important.. come on people! That AD needs a kick in the rear out the door! We ALL will miss Coach Spence.
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