Sandra Rushing is an American women's

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach. She has served as head coach at 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),

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricult ...

, and the

University of Central Arkansas The University of Central Arkansas (Central Arkansas or UCA) is a public university in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1907 as the Arkansas State Normal School, the university is one of the oldest in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As the state's only ...

(UCA). When she left UTEP, she had the best record for women's basketball in the school's history. Rushing was inducted into the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame in 1999.

Biography

Rushing grew up on a farm in

Wool Market, Mississippi Wool Market (also Woolmarket) is an unincorporated community in Harrison County, Mississippi. Wool Market is approximately northwest of Biloxi and part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. Historically, the settlement was called "Wool Mar ...

. She graduated from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

. She played basketball at Alabama and was named a defensive MVP. and She earned her master's degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from

in 1989. While at Delta, she worked as a graduate coach with Lloyd Clark. Rushing started her professional career in coaching at

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webste ...

in the 1989–1990 season. She started as head coach for women's basketball at the

(UTEP) in May 1990. At UTEP, she ran summer camps for kids, working with other coaches like

Don Haskins Donald Lee Haskins (March 14, 1930 – September 7, 2008), nicknamed "The Bear", was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for three years under coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University). He w ...

. Haskins was also her

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

at UTEP. For the 1997–1998 school year, she was named the Western Athletics Conference (WAC) Mountain Division co-Coach of the Year. She was inducted into the El Paso Women's Hall of Fame in 1999. Rushing resigned as a coach from UTEP in 2001. By the time that Rushing left UTEP, she had a 123–175 record, making her the "winningest women's basketball coach in the history of Texas-El Paso." After leaving UTEP, she coached for a year at

Henderson State University Henderson State University (HSU) is a public university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, it is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Henderson has an undergraduate enrol ...

. In 2002, she started coaching at Delta State University. Rushing was named the

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the Mi ...

West Division Coach of the Decade in 2010. In 2012, Rushing became the head coach of the basketball program at the

(UCA). At UCA, she continued her defensive strategy for her women's basketball teams. Rushing resigned as UCA head coach on February 25, 2023, citing her ongoing care for her ailing mother. She had missed eight games during the 2022–23 season due to her care obligations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushing, Sandra Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Basketball coaches from Mississippi Alabama Crimson Tide women's basketball players Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball coaches Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball coaches Delta State University alumni Henderson State University faculty Henderson State Reddies Millsaps College faculty Millsaps Majors UTEP Miners women's basketball coaches