For the first time in this coaching carousel cycle for women’s college basketball, a Big Ten job is open.
Wisconsin and Marisa Moseley are going their separate ways after four seasons. She had an overall record of 47-75 and never had a winning record in conference play. Moseley was also accused by a former player earlier this year of mistreatment and emotional abuse.
The Badgers have been down in women’s basketball for several years. Since 2003, they’ve gone to the NCAA Tournament just once, losing in the first round, and have finished a season with a winning mark in Big Ten play just twice in that same span. Since the NCAA began running a postseason tournament for Division I women’s basketball, Wisconsin has advanced to the second round just twice and has never been to the Sweet 16.
Folks in coaching circles and the agent community in women’s basketball expected this job to open. Many characterized it as one of the hardest jobs in the Big Ten, mainly because of a lack of resources and investment from the university into the program.
“There isn’t a lot of evidence that suggests it’s a great job,” one longtime assistant coach said. “But the recruiting ground in the region is extremely fertile and the fanbase seems to be clamoring for something to support. They need to get this hire right this time.”
This is a Power 4 job in a league that has lots of money thanks to a rich television contract for college football. Moseley made $658,000 per year, making her the 40th highest paid coach in the country. Her successor could garner a bigger payday, and who Wisconsin chooses may show how much it is willing to invest in women’s basketball.
Here’s who might be in the mix for the job.
Carrie Moore
Multiple sources say that Moore – who is in her third season at Harvard and has the Crimson eyeing a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament – really wants to jump up to the Power 4 level. This might be her opportunity. She knows the midwest well, having played at Western Michigan – where she led the NCAA in scoring as a senior in 2007 – and then worked as an assistant coach at Creighton and Michigan. Moore also worked for several years under Courtney Banghart at Princeton and then at North Carolina. She’s been touted as a talented recruiter, and at the age of 39, one of the best young head coaches in the sport. Under her watch this year, Harvard is enjoying its best season in more than a decade.
Aaron Rousell
Currently the head coach at Richmond, Rousell has roots in the midwest and Big Ten country. He is a graduate of Iowa and previously coached at Division II Minnesota State and Division III Chicago before making the jump to Division I at Bucknell in 2012. As a Division I head coach Rousell is 272-135 and is eyeing his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. He’s 77-23 in his last three seasons at Richmond, turning the A-10 program into a mid-major power that is likely to get an at-large berth in the Big Dance this year.
Brad Fischer
While it might seem unorthodox to some for a Big Ten school to reach into the Division III ranks, Fischer makes sense for several reasons. At UW-Oshkosh, Fischer is 285-75 over the past 13 seasons and has turned the Titans into NCAA Tournament mainstays. In 12 of his 13 seasons, the program has won at least 20 games, and he also owns six conference tournament titles. Before taking the reins at UW-Oshkosh, Fischer coached at UW-Parkside and UW-La Crosse as an assistant. Simply put, he knows the state and he’s a winner.
