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Home > SECWB News & More! > Coaching > Coaching Vacancies > Alabama Hires From Within as Hudson Is Named New Head Coach
Alabama Hires From Within as Hudson Is Named New Head Coach
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: March 19th, 2008 @ 11:43pm
In a move that makes one think the die had been cast long before Stephany Smith had any inkling her head was on the chopping block, Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced that Wendell Hudson, Associate Athletics Director for Alumni Relations, has been named the eighth women’s basketball head coach at the University of Alabama. A formal press conference announcing the move has yet to be scheduled.
Hudson’s resume is fairly solid, although more than a little removed from the usual qualifications one would tend to see in a coach re-entering the game at such an elite level as the SEC. Hudson, a native of Birmingham, was the first African-American scholarship athlete in any sport at Alabama, and became an All-American Crimson Tide basketball player before being drafted by the Chicago Bulls upon his graduation in 1973. He began his coaching career at his alma mater as an assistant under C.M. Newton from 1974-1979, one of the more successful periods in Alabama men’s basketball. During his tenure there, Alabama compiled an impressive 129-41 record, won three SEC titles and made an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen, while becoming a perennial Top Ten team. Hudson’s next coaching stop was as an assistant at North Alabama, where his teams recorded an overall record of 56-31, including two trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament and a D-2 Final Four appearance in 1980.
Other coaching stops included Rice for one season (1982-83), Ole Miss for two seasons (1983-85) and Baylor for one season (1985-86) before he moved into athletics administration at McLennan Community College in Waco, TX in 1986. While at McLennan, Hudson also served as the women’s basketball coach from 1986-1999. In the 2001 season, Hudson took over the head coaching duties for the men’s squad. Hudson compiled a 219-117 mark as the head women’s coach, before going 20-10 as head coach of the men’s program in his final year coaching at McLennan. He continued to serve as Athletics Director at McLennan even after he left the coaching realm, but it was a chance to return to his alma mater which led him back to Alabama. Hudson was hired as Associate Athletics Director for Alumni Relations on Sept. 18, 2003, and has functioned in that capacity for the past four and a half years.
Mal Moore stated: “In addition to being the first African American scholarship athlete at the University of Alabama, Wendell has remained a respected and important individual at our University for many years. He is uniquely qualified for this position at this time. I can think of no one that understands the landscape and the challenges, as well as the opportunities that face our women’s program at this time. When you consider he has excellent basketball contacts throughout the region and the nation, I think Wendell is positioned to greatly help our recruiting efforts.”
Hudson stated: “This is going to be a good move for me and the university. I have a tremendous passion for Alabama athletics. I know I can get the best out of people and can get people to work hard together. This is going to be a really good challenge and I look forward to getting started.”
It will be interesting to see how Hudson relates to the two excellent recruiting classes already on the roster who were brought in by former coach Smith, and then whether he will be able to bring in players of the same caliber as Tierney Jenkins and Katie Hancock. I’m sure of one thing: Hudson will be given a lot longer than three years to prove he is up to the task.
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