This season will be the last one on the sidelines for Iowa State women's basketball coach Bill Fennelly.
The winningest coach in the history of Cyclones athletics announced Monday, Oct. 12, he will retire after this season — his 32nd at the helm.
Fennelly, 69, is the second-longest active tenured Division I head coach in the country, trailing only UConn’s Geno Auriemma. He began coaching at Iowa State in 1995 and has led the Cyclones to 24 NCAA Tournaments.
"It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to coach at Iowa State for the past 32 years," Fennelly said in a statement. "I have been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to coach so many amazing players while working with loyal and dedicated staff members. We have built one
of the most respected programs in the nation on and off the court.”
Iowa State had a disappointing end to last season. After starting the year 14-0 and climbing up to 10th in the national rankings, the Cyclones then lost five straight games. They finished the regular season 22-8, but were bounced in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament by Arizona State, then lost their NCAA Tournament opener to Syracuse.
When the season ended, nine Iowa State players entered the transfer portal, including the nation’s second-leading scorer in Audi Crooks and All-Big 12 selections in Addy Brown and Jada Williams. Crooks transferred in-conference to Oklahoma State, Brown went to UCLA and Williams landed at LSU.
Iowa State is also going through a search to find its next athletic director as Jamie Pollard stepped down earlier this month.
“While I still love coaching and am working as hard as ever, I understand that this job has an expiration date,” Fennelly said. “Announcing my intention now is what is best for everyone in our program and provides the new athletics director clarity on my future and allows them to make plans for the program moving forward.”
Fennelly has guided Iowa State to six consecutive NCAA Tournaments and 17 of the last 19. Before his arrival in 1995, the Cyclones had never played in March Madness. They have also won three Big 12 titles under his watch. Additionally, he is the Big 12’s all-time leader in conference victories, surpassing Kim Mulkey.
Before being hired at Iowa State, Fennelly — a native of Davenport, Iowa — coached at Toledo and led the Rockets to three conference championships and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Overall he has a record of 822-388 in his previous 38 seasons as a Division I head coach. Before taking the Toledo job, he was an assistant for Muffet McGraw at Notre Dame.
At Iowa State, 24 All-Americans and 16 WNBA draft picks came through Fennelly’s program, including current Portland Fire star Bridget Carleton.
Iowa State was picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll that was released last week. The Cyclones open the season at home on Nov. 2 against Grambling State.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Fennelly to retire as Iowa State women’s basketball coach after 32 seasons
