PVAMU's Cooper-Dyke Named UNC-Wilmington Head Coach‎

Former Praire A&M University coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke leaves the Lady Panthers in better shape, with a 85-72 record/64-26 in the SWAC over the past five years and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The PVAMU alumna accepted a four year contract at UNCW starting at $110,000 for the first year, with an annual increase of $5,000, thereafter. In 24 years in Division I, UNCW Seahawks have a record of 304-430 with no post season appearances.

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has been named the head coach of women’s basketball at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. FOX 26 Sports first reported on Friday that Cooper-Dyke was the leading candidate for the coaching job. Cooper-Dyke, 47, will be formally introduced as the new head coach at a news conference on Monday. She will take over the helm of the Seahawk program following five years of success at Prairie View A&M University.

"I have agreed to a four-year contract and I'm excited," Cooper-Dyke said in an interview Monday with FOX 26 Sports. "Every coach, every player wants to grow and this is part of my growth process. "The Colonial Athletic Conference is a strong conference with schools like Old Dominion, Drexel and James Madison. It is going to be a huge challenge and I think that's what every coach wants." Cooper-Dyke said it is not easy leaving Prairie View A&M. "I'm always sad to leave a program that gave me a chance to be a Division One head coach," Cooper-Dyke said. "I will always love Prairie View and I will always consider them as family."

As a former college great, Olympic gold medalist and Women’s National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, Cooper-Dyke will be enshrined into the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 13 in Springfield, Mass. “We’re thrilled to welcome Cynthia to the Seahawk family,” said Kelly Mehrtens, UNCW’s athletic director. “She has been ultra-successful at all stages of her life and I’m confident she will elevate our women’s basketball program. She has an intense passion for the game and loves motivating young people to achieve their best, both on and off the court.”
UNCW names Hall of Famer Cooper-Dyke women's hoops coach

Wilmington, N.C. (Michael Jordan's hometown) -- One of the greatest players in the history of women's basketball will soon call the Port City home. UNC Wilmington will introduce Cynthia Cooper-Dyke as its women's basketball coach at a Monday afternoon news conference. Cooper-Dyke replaces Ann Hancock, whose contract was not renewed. Cooper-Dyke will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.

A native of Chicago, Cooper-Dyke was a four-year standout at Southern California, where she sparked the Women of Troy to back-to-back NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984. She later completed her Bachelor’s Degree at Prairie View A&M. Cooper-Dyke, 47, collected four medals while representing the United States. She won a gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis, captured gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, claimed gold at the 1990 FIBA World Championship in Malaysia, and won bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Cooper-Dyke began her professional career overseas and played 10 seasons in Spain and Italy. She returned to the United States in 1997 to play with the Houston Comets of the newly-formed WNBA.

Cooper-Dyke file

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I can understand Coach Cooper-Dyke making this move...all you need is one visit to the seaside town of Wilmington, N.C. and the campus of North Carolina-Wilmington and you will be packing up the family for a quick move. Never found a college town so peaceful and relaxing on a sunny fall day with beautiful weather nearly year round. I had the opportunity of driving my son over to Wilmington for a soccer tournament last year and enjoyed the entire day in Wilmington and the UNCW campus. Definitely a beach front city you would want to take the family for an inexpensive vacation. The magnet here is the lack of excessive commercial development that you find in most ocean front communities.

However, dang shame the SWAC and MEAC let a Hall of Fame coach get away to a directional school with no history of winning for $117,500 average salary over four years. Cooper-Dyke replaces Ann Hancock, who was fired. Hancock received a salary of $87,167 for the final season of her 10 year career at UNCW. (beepbeep)