Grambling State University let go of the head women’s basketball coach Freddie Murray recently and have replaced him with Troy University assistant Courtney Simmons.
Murray took over the Lady Tigers’ hoops program during the 2016-17 season as the interim head coach and led the Lady Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game that season before they ended up falling to Texas Southern.
The 2017-18 season proved to be different for coach Murray and the Lady Tigers as they went 19-4 overall and 13-5 in SWAC conference play that season and captured a conference championship – their first since 1999.
It did not take long for Grambling to find its new head coach though, as Simmons was brought aboard to be the coach of the Lady Tigers.
During her 10 seasons at Troy, Simmons was a key figure for the Lady Trojans leading them to five Sun Belt titles, six trips to the playoffs, and three appearances in the NCAA tournament.
While Simmons was at Troy, she helped the Trojans finish at the top of their conference in some of the main offensive and defensive categories. The team’s most impressive feat was leading the entire country in rebounding from the years 2017-2021.
Simmons previous coaching career included a stint at Louisiana Tech University during the 2012-2013 season and before that role she spent two seasons coaching at Trinity Valley Community College, a junior college in Texas. Simmons helped Trinity Valley to two nationally ranked recruiting classes, a 72-3 record, and a national title in the 2011-2012 season.
Her education and athletic career consisted of two years at Trinity Valley Community college after recently starting her career at Tulane. After Trinity Valley she transferred to the University of Louisville where she helped them reach the NCAA tournament twice. Afterward she received her bachelor’s degree in communication.
Simmons has proven to be a good coach and an even better recruiter, bringing her energy and effort to Grambling will hopefully be the spark the L adyTigers need as they look to bounce strongly into the future.