Last edited 1:55 p.m., March 19, 2013Missouri State University has fired Nyla Milleson, the school's head women's basketball coach.
Announced during a news conference yesterday, Director of Athletics Kyle Moats said the university would immediately begin the search for a new coach.
The university has offered Milleson a $140,000 buyout for the remaining two years of her contract. Milleson had earned a $140,000 annual salary, with a potential ceiling of $417,500 via victory and attendance benchmarks, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives. MSU athletics spokesman Rick Kindhart said Milleson came to MSU for the 2007-08 season and was given a five-year contract extension in 2010.
“We evaluate all of our coaches at the conclusion of each season and monitor several criteria during the year,” Moats said in a news release. “Based on my overview of these factors, I consulted with President Clif Smart over the weekend and gave him my recommendation to make a change in the leadership of the Lady Bears program.”
Kindhart said Milleson’s assistant coaches — Trish Marsh, Bethany Creed and Christopher Lewis, as well as women's Director of Basketball Operations Steve Yang — also were let go. Kindhart said the university will pay them a combined roughly $80,000 through the end of the school's current fiscal year in June.
Data provided by Kindhart shows both season tickets and revenues for MSU women's basketball have declined. Starting with 3,514 tickets and $720,365 in 2008 revenues, both categories have declined each consecutive year. During the 2013 season, officials registered 1,480 tickets and $278,121 in revenues.
Through six seasons, Milleson coached the Lady Bears to a 105-87 record, including three Women's National Invitation Tournament appearances and the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship. The Lady Bears finished their most recent season with a record of 14-17 and 6-12 in MVC play, the release said.
“Our past successes have led to high expectations,” Smart said in the release. “The challenge for Missouri State is to continue to live up to those expectations. Sometimes, that means we have to make difficult, but necessary, decisions. Such is the case today.”
Until a new head coach is named, Senior Associate Athletics Director Casey Hunt will serve in the interim, according to the release.
Kindhart noted Paul Lusk, the MSU men's head basketball coach, is in the second year of a five-year contract. He was not mentioned in yesterday's announcement.[[In-content Ad]]
