COLUMN: Pebley made her mark on USU women’s basketball
For the past decade, Raegan Pebley has been the face of the women’s basketball program at Utah State University. Her departure brings a great amount of disappointment to those who follow the Aggie women.
For starters, let’s take the fact that Utah State hadn’t had a program for 15 years prior to Pebley’s arrival. The program was dropped in 1987, and in 2003 Pebley was hired to build the reinstated team from scratch.
Based on the fact that Pebley won 2011-12 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Region 7 Coach of the Year and was one of eight finalists for National Coach of the Year, I’d say she’s done a pretty good job of building the program.
Pebley was also named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2011.
Statistically speaking, numerous records belong to Pebley. The record that jumps out first is her 110 wins as head coach of the Aggies. That is double the number of wins of the next closest coach – Fern Gardner, with 55.
Including the 15 years the program was missing in action, the Aggies hadn’t been to the postseason in 20 years before Pebley coached the team to back-to-back appearances, including a win over Arizona in the NIT in 2011 – USU’s first postseason win since 1977.
When the Aggies joined the WAC in 2006, the program got better and better each year under Pebley’s direction. After seven years in the league, Pebley has turned the Utah State program into one of the top three organizations in the conference.
This year, Pebley surpassed expectations when she guided the team to a school-record 21 overall wins and 11 conference wins. It was the first time in school history the Aggie women reached the 20-win plateau. Her success can be measured not only by statistics but by the players she has recruited.
Seniors Ashlee Brown and Brooke Jackson both transferred to Utah State, and Pebley’s program, and were significantly instrumental in the Aggies’ success on the court. Junior Devyn Christensen also had a breakout season because she fits the system Pebley runs so well.
In Pebley’s nine seasons, 12 players have achieved postseason honors for their performances on the basketball court. Twice – in 2008 and 2012 – multiple players were named to the All-WAC team.
Pebley’s influence on these student-athletes carries over from the locker room to the classroom. From 2004-2011, there have been 47 players who’ve earned academic all-WAC honors. That’s an average of seven per year. Considering there is somewhere between 12-16 players on the roster each season, that means about half of the team is earning the award each year.
If you take an in-depth look at Pebley’s resume, you’ll see why she’s been so effective. She knows the game of basketball, which makes sense considering how long she’s been around the sport. She spent four years as an assistant coach, two at George Mason and another two at Colorado State.
At CSU, she helped the Rams to a .738 winning percentage. Prior to the assistant coaching jobs, Pebley spent two years in the WNBA. After a season with the Utah Starzz, she helped the Cleveland Rockers to a WNBA Finals appearance.
That all happened after she spent four years playing at the University of Colorado, lettering in all four seasons. Pebley has been able to help young women achieve great things, both academically and athletically, through her coaching methods.
No matter how you look at it, it’s hard to argue Pebley’s success as a coach. She turned the Utah State program around. She’ll be a great asset to Fresno State, but she will be missed dearly by many at USU.
So we bid farewell to the winningest coach in the history of USU women’s basketball.
– Curtis Lundstrom is a sophomore majoring in print journalism. His life ambition is to bowl a perfect game and officiate high school or college basketball.