Nine days after K-State athletic director John Currie announced the firing of long-time women’s basketball coach Deb Patterson, the program has a new coach- former TCU head coach Jeff Mittie.
“Coach Mittie’s success as a head coach at three different institutions, Midwest background as well as his reputation as a top-notch recruiter make him the ideal fit to lead our women’s basketball program,” K-State athletics director John Currie said in his official statement. “We set out to find the very best basketball coach for K-State, whose personal values and integrity reflects those of our university and one that appreciates the unique opportunity of being part of our strong basketball tradition and commitment to championship performances, and we are confident that Jeff Mittie is that person.”
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Mittie will be coaching his fourth program in what will be his 23rd season as a head coach. To begin his coaching resume, Mittie made a short three-season stay at his alma mater, NCAA Division-II Missouri Western, and a four-season stint as the head coach of Arkansas State.
His most recent coaching experience came from a 15 season stay at Big 12 foe TCU. Mittie went 303-175 in his 15-years in Fort Worth, TX., helping the Horned Frogs to an impressive streak of 11-consecutive postseason appearances, including nine-NCAA tournament appearances.
Mittie left his mark on the Horned Frogs, turning around a program that only had 208 wins and four-winning seasons in its first 22 years. As he departs the program, the Horned Frogs now have 511 wins as a program. During his 15 seasons with the Horned Frogs, Mittie garnered his only losing season of his 22-year coaching career.
The Wildcats’ new coach has garnered five conference coach of the year awards, while winning nine conference championships in four-different conferences.
Averaging 21 wins a season, Mittie inherits a program that hasn’t won 21 games in a season since the 2010-2011 campaign.
A factor that made the decision for Mittie easier was his wife, Shanna’s, connection with the local community. She was raised in Junction City, and graduated from Chapman High School.
A good sign for the Wildcats is that Mittie knows how to foster great scorers, coaching 10 of the 12 players in the Horned Frogs’ 1,000-point club. This is good news for the young talent that the new coach will inherit over the next few seasons.
One of the young players that Mittie will inherit is freshman guard Leticia Romero. Romero garnered All-Big 12 Second Team honors, also being voted onto the All-Big 12 Freshman team.
“This was the youngest team in the Big 12 this year, so I am excited to work with the players,” Mittie said according to K-State Sports.
