Western Kentucky University's Lady Hilltopper basketball team has a new head coach.
Assistant coach Greg Collins was promoted to the top spot Tuesday following the departure of Michelle Clark-Heard, who is the new head coach at the University of Cincinnati.
Collins has been an assistant at WKU for the past six seasons.
“It is a great honor to be offered this position with a program that has had so much success throughout its history,” Collins said. “WKU is a program that ranks in the top 10 all-time in victories, a program that has been to multiple Final Fours and has shown that it can have sustained success at the national level. I am very excited and would like to thank [Director of Athletics] Todd Stewart for the opportunity that he has presented to me.”
Clark-Heard leaves after six seasons as the Hilltopper head coach. She led the team to a record of 154 wins and 48 losses, and four NCAA Tournament appearances.
“This is one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made in my career,” Clark-Heard said. “What we have built here at WKU is special. As a team, I always talk to our players about leaving a place better than you found it. I want to thank my players, my coaching staff and my support staff for helping to make that a reality over these last six years. I will forever be grateful to Todd [Stewart] for giving me this opportunity, and to the community and my family for embracing me and this program, know that I will forever be a Lady Topper and appreciate all of the love and support that you have given us.”
Clark-Heard is a Louisville native who played her college ball at WKU from 1987-1990.