PINEVILLE, La. – A source of previous pain for the Louisiana Christian University women's basketball team has now been tasked with bringing the program to new heights of success as LCU Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Reni Mason has named Mark Morefield as its next head coach on Monday.
"As Coach Morefield joins the Wildcat family, he does so with our wholehearted support, our encouragement, and a shared commitment to the values and expectations that define Louisiana Christian University," said Dr. Mark Johnson, LCU President. "We are excited to walk alongside him and his family as members of our community and believe this marks the beginning of an important season of restoration and renewal."
"I, first, would like to thank Dr. Mark Johnson and Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Reni Mason for this opportunity," said Morefield. "Louisiana Christian University fits everything my family and I believe in. I am excited to add to the tradition of Wildcat women's basketball and to compete in one of the strongest NAIA conferences. We want to grow our student-athletes into strong leaders and prepare them for success."
The Louisiana Christian women's basketball fan base may best remember Morefield from LCU's days in NCAA Division III and the American Southwest Conference as he served as the head coach at Mary Hardin-Baylor for eight years. During his time in Belton, Texas, he won 76 percent of his games, 77 percent in ASC play, won three ASC West Division titles, an overall ASC regular season championship, and won the ASC Tournament twice. He had great success on the national stage as well, leading the Crusaders to the sweet sixteen of the NCAA Division III Tournament three times.
By the time his time at UMHB ended, he was the winningest coach in program history with 159 victories, 95 of which came in ASC play, and six in the NCAA Tournament.
"The best coaches are humble enough to grow, wise enough to change and committed enough to never stop learning," said Mason. "God uses every day to help us grow and I anticipate that Coach Morefield will do that for our young ladies."
Morefield started his basketball coaching career right after graduating in 1998 as an assistant on the men's team at his alma mater, Valparaiso. During four of his five seasons at Valpo, where he served as the recruiting coordinator, his teams won 20 or more games four times. Three of those seasons, his teams advanced to the NCAA National Championship Tournament while the other saw his team receive a spot in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
In 2003, he made his way over to Baylor as an assistant on the Bears men's team, serving as the team's offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator under head coach Scott Drew. In his eight seasons at Baylor, he made the NCAA Tournament two more times, one of which saw the Bears advance all the way to the Elite Eight. Baylor also made a run to the NIT Championship Game during his time there.
His next stop was at the professional level as he was named a scout and assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the National Basketball Developmental League, now known as the NBA G-League. It was from there where he made the move to Mary Hardin-Baylor and the women's side of the ball.
Since leaving UMHB, he spent two years as the head coach of the women's basketball team at Ranger Junior College and then had time as an assistant at another former ASC foe, Concordia University of Texas. He also served as the director of the Nike Proskills Central Texas office.
"We're incredibly happy for Coach Morefield and this well-deserved opportunity," said Brianna Marstaller, head women's basketball coach at Concordia University of Texas. "He has been a great coach, mentor, and leader in our program. His passion for developing student-athletes and his commitment to excellence will serve him well. We're grateful for everything he's done here at CTX and wish him and his family nothing but success at LCU."
Morefield's tenure atop the LCU women's basketball team starts immediately.
