Keitha Rachelle Adams (born February 13, 1967) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head women's basketball coach at

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...

. Prior to the 2006–07 season, Adams was known as Keitha Green.

Coaching career

Adams began her coaching career in 1987 as a girls' basketball assistant coach at Belle Plaine High School in

Belle Plaine, Kansas Belle Plaine is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,467. History Belle Plaine was founded in 1871. Belle Plaine is a French name meaning "beautiful plain". In 1883, Belle Pl ...

while studying at Southwestern College, from which she would ultimately graduate in 1989. After graduating from Southwestern, Adams joined Winfield High School in

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. Hi ...

and coached softball, volleyball, and track before ultimately settling on basketball full-time in 1991. In 1994, Adams became a women's basketball assistant coach at

Independence Community College Independence Community College is a public community college in Independence, Kansas. It was formerly Independence Community Junior College. History Independence Community College was established in 1925 as grades 13 and 14 of the Independence p ...

; she was also a men's and women's tennis coach in the 1994–95 season. Independence promoted Adams to head coach in 1996. In five seasons as head coach, Adams had a cumulative 127–37 record and two

Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) is a college athletic conference that is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). As of 2007, the KJCCC was home to more than 3,000 student-athletes in the 19 me ...

titles in 2000 and 2001.

UTEP (2001–2017)

The

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

(UTEP) hired Adams as head women's basketball coach on April 20, 2001. Adams coached at UTEP for 16 seasons and accumulated a 284–209 record, three

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

regular season titles (2008, 2012, 2016), one C-USA Tournament title (2012), two NCAA tournament appearances (2008 and 2012), and two WNIT appearances (2014 and 2016)—the only such titles and postseason bids in program history. Following a 24–7 season in 2013–14 and appearance in the 2014 WNIT, UTEP signed Adams to a six-year contract extension. In her final season as head coach, UTEP went 8–23 season in 2016–17. At UTEP, Adams created a mentorship program that helped ensure a high graduation rate among her players. Adams is credited with building a successful women's basketball program that also "encourages interaction between players and fans." She was inducted into the

El Paso Women's Hall of Fame The El Paso Women's Hall of Fame honors and recognizes the accomplishments of El Paso women. It is sponsored by the El Paso Commission for Women and was established in 1985. The first inductees were honored in 1990. Inductees are women who live in ...

in 2010. In 2016, she was recognized as the

Conference USA Coach of the Year Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

Wichita State (2017–2023)

Adams resigned from UTEP to become head coach at

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

on March 29, 2017.

UTEP (2023–present)

In 2023, Adams returned as head coach for UTEP.

Head coaching record

The following table shows Adams' head coaching record at the NCAA Division I level. Source:

References

External links

Wichita State biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Keitha 1967 births Living people Basketball coaches from Kansas Basketball players from Kansas High school basketball coaches in Kansas Junior college women's basketball coaches in the United States Junior college women's basketball players in the United States People from Sumner County, Kansas Southwestern College (Kansas) alumni UTEP Miners women's basketball coaches Wichita State Shockers women's basketball coaches