NEW ORLEANS — The next time the Tulane Women’s Basketball team wins a game, Head Coach Lisa Stockton will join elite company.
She will become just the 77th women’s head basketball coach to reach the 600 win mark.
“Things like that make you reflect a little bit. Just on your career here, and the different players you coached and the people you’ve worked with. I just feel like I’m really fortunate to have been in the game as I long as I have and been a head coach as long as I have,” says Tulane Women’s Head Basketball Coach Lisa Stockton.
27 of her 30 years as a head coach have been spent in uptown New Orleans.
Stockton was hired by Tulane in 1995, leading the Green Wave to its first NCAA Tournament appearance that season.
Since then, she has seen 3 conference Coach of the Year recognitions, four Conference USA regular season titles, 5 conference tournament titles and a total of 18 postseason appearances.
Stockton says that given the nature of the coaching profession, most coaches would have pursued newer challenges elsewhere, but she says that her being at Tulane was a perfect fit.
“It hasn’t been a situation where I’ve tried to make it here that long. It’s just been such a great situation and we’ve been able to be successful that it’s home to me now. I’m really glad I stayed in one place,” says Stockton.
599 total wins over her 27 year span at Tulane with a near .65 winning percentage.
With 3 regular season games left and a young talented team, win number 600 is bound to come soon.
Stockton wishes it would come sooner than later because she does not want it to be her team’s biggest win this season.
“Honestly it would be great just to be over. I don’t want any pressure on the team. I don’t want them to feel that. Our focus is so much about getting in the post season that that’s a step along the way,” says Stockton.
Tulane will face South Florida Saturday night at 6 p.m.