# Basketball Coach Question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 19, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335 "2012-04-19T23:28:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/1 "2012-04-19T23:28:56Z")
I know there are Division I College Women’s Basketball teams coached by men, but are there any Division I College Men’s Basketball teams that are coached by women? And if the answer is no, why is that the case? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/2 "2012-04-19T23:54:40Z")
However unfair, it would make recruiting the better players much more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/3 "2012-04-20T00:17:51Z")
Because better male players would never accept a female coach? In that case why would a better female player accept a male coach? How about if there were female coaches of male high school teams? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/4 "2012-04-20T03:00:26Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > Because better male players would never accept a female coach? In that case why would a better female player accept a male coach? > > How about if there were female coaches of male high school teams? I don’t recall ever seeing a female high school bball coach for a boy’s team. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/5 "2012-04-20T03:58:00Z")
…it’s spelled “basketball.” Joe ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/6 "2012-04-20T04:05:58Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > …it’s spelled “basketball.” > > Joe Wait, this isn’t a thread about the national sport of northern Spain? ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/7 "2012-04-20T04:23:07Z")
There have been a few women coaches at pretty decent levels in the men’s game. Bernadette Mattox was an assistant under Pitino and Nancy Lieberman coached for a year or so in the NBA D-League, for example. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/8 "2012-04-20T04:32:09Z")
Also, while Division II, not I, [Lisa Bradley](http://www.valorcollege.com/Athletics/CoachBradley.aspx) has done a pretty stellar job. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/9 "2012-04-20T17:19:48Z")
[moderating] Thread moved to the Game Room. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/10 "2012-04-20T18:45:34Z")
I don’t believe there is a Division 1 Athletic Director out there brave enough to be the first to give a woman a shot, unless a woman coach had a long period as the right hand assistant for a successful coach **for a men’s team** , which, Bernadette Mattox included, hasn’t happened yet. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/11 "2012-04-20T18:53:42Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > I don’t believe there is a Division 1 Athletic Director out there brave enough to be the first to give a woman a shot, unless a woman coach had a long period as the right hand assistant for a successful coach **for a men’s team** , which, Bernadette Mattox included, hasn’t happened yet. I’ve heard that Pat Summit was once offered the job as the men’s coach at Tennessee but she declined. Not sure if that’s true or not, but it’s a story that makes the rounds. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basketball-coach-question/619335/12 "2012-04-20T19:09:24Z")
In football there has been at least one female head coach at the high school level: [http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/story/2011-11-22/Female-football-coach-Natalie-Randolph/51349976/1](http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/football/story/2011-11-22/Female-football-coach-Natalie-Randolph/51349976/1)