In one of his first moves as director of athletics, Bill Battle announced on Monday that Crimson Tide women’s basketball head coach Wendell Hudson has been reassigned to an administrative position within the Department of Athletics and will not return as head coach of the women’s basketball team for the 2013-14 season.
“Today’s decision is a mutual one between Wendell and me,” Battle said in a statement released by UA. “We have had several discussions over the last few weeks that led to this decision. Wendell has been an excellent ambassador for Alabama Athletics for many years and I am pleased that he will continue to serve in that manner for us while also contributing to our ongoing mission in a variety of other ways as well.”
In an interview with the Crimson White on April 2, when asked if he was evaluating any coaches, in particular the women’s basketball staff, Battle said he would wait to get a sense for the big picture of every program.
“I will try to evaluate all coaches,” Battle said during the interview. “I have not gotten that far. I plan to spend the next six weeks listening and learning to see where we are. I think we’ve got some time throughout the summer to get there, but I’m on a steep learning curve trying to figure out where our priorities are. I want to see what’s going good and how we need to keep that going good. I also want to see what needs fixing and how we need to go about fixing that.”
During Hudson’s five year tenure, Alabama compiled a 68-87 overall record and a 14-64 mark in Southeastern Conference play, while going 1-5 in the SEC Tournament. Alabama had its most successful season during the 2010-11 year, finishing with an 18-15 mark and advancing to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the first time in nine years.
“I want to thank the University for the opportunity to help rebuild the women’s basketball program over the last five years,” Hudson said. “I am particularly thankful for the efforts of the young ladies that competed for us these last five seasons, in addition to the dedication of the coaches that have worked on our staff and the many people throughout the University that have provided such tremendous support over the years. I look forward to continuing to serve my school in a productive way over the next few years.
Hudson was hired on March 15, 2008 after a five-year stint as associate athletics director for alumni relations at Alabama.
Hudson, a 1973 graduate of The University of Alabama and the first African-American scholarship student-athlete at The Capstone, played forward for the Crimson Tide from 1970-73 under then-head coach C.M. Newton. The 1973 SEC Player of the Year, Hudson finished his career with 1,326 points and 826 rebounds.
A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately, per UA.
