MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances in the last three years, Terry Fowler was named head women's basketball coach at the University of South Alabama on Wednesday by Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann.
Fowler was introduced at a 2 p.m. press conference at the Mitchell Center.
"We're very excited about the hiring of Coach Fowler to direct our women's basketball program," Erdmann said. "What he brings to the program is a history of success as a head coach, managing and growing a program to a level of sustained success as well as academic excellence and community outreach. We think he is a great fit for our university and our community, and is the right man to lead our program into the future."
"This is a chance to come back to a place where I've been, it's familiar territory and I've worked with Dr. Erdmann before," stated Fowler. "The campus has changed so much over the last few years, I really think it's a place you can recruit to. I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to come back.
"First, we're going to talk about the process of being great every day," he added. "If we can have a mindset of getting better every day and improving, then we can reach our goals of trying to be Sun Belt Conference champions and getting to the NCAA Tournament. But that starts with the daily process."
Fowler has been the head coach at North Alabama the last seven seasons, guiding the Lions to the NCAA Tournament in both 2011 and '13 while winning 20-plus games in each of those years. Last winter, UNA posted a 20-11 mark — going 12-6 in the Gulf South Conference — while qualifying for the event, and after ranking in the top 20 nationally in field-goal percentage defense and scoring defense he was named the league's Coach of the Year. Fowler was also chosen the GSC East Division Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading the Lions to a 12-0 record in conference action; UNA would finish the year 21-7 after advancing to the NCAA Tournament, its first appearance in the event since the 1993-94 campaign.
He inherited a program that had won 11 games combined the two previous seasons, and in his first year directing the team Fowler led the Lions to a 14-14 overall finish and their first berth in the conference tournament since 2003. He guided UNA to a winning record in each of the last five years, posting an overall mark of 115-87 (56.9%) — which included going 57-32 (64%) in Gulf South play — during his tenure.
Twelve Lions earned all-GSC recognition in Fowler's seven seasons, with a pair selected the league's East Division Player of the Year. UNA also had the conference Freshman of the Year in 2009.
Fowler brings ties to the Mobile community as well, having worked at both USA and Spring Hill prior to taking over the reins of the UNA program. He was an assistant on the Lady Jaguar staff during the 2000-01 and '01-02 seasons, with his responsibilities including coach guards, recruiting, scouting, strength and conditioning, and handling team travel. During his first year USA's 13 wins were the most posted by the program since 1991, while in his second season the Lady Jags finished 17-11 for the school's first winning record since 1990. USA ranked in the top 25 in the country both years in scoring defense, finishing sixth in the category Fowler's second year on the staff.
After serving as an assistant at SHC from 1993-98, he was promoted to head coach prior to the start of the '98-99 campaign. In his second season as a collegiate head coach, Fowler led the Badgers to their first-ever NAIA Tournament appearance and 23-11 overall record while winning both the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. For his efforts, he was named the league Coach of the Year at the end of the year.
Fowler returned to Spring Hill in 2002, and during the next four years led the Badgers to their first-ever NAIA national ranking and the semifinals of the GCAC Tournament on two occasions while helping SHC finish among the top 15 in the nation in scoring defense three consecutive seasons. He served as chair of the GCAC women's basketball committee and was the Region 6 representative on the NAIA Kodak/WBCA All-America selection committee while in his second stint at the school, also implementing "Reading Badgers" and mentoring programs in which his student-athletes assisted in the Mobile community.
Fowler's career coaching record in 13 seasons is 206-177 (53.8%).
He played his first two years on the collegiate level at Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) before going on to earn all-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors as a senior at Lane (Tenn.), where he was also a two-time Academic All-SIAC selection. Fowler earned his degree in business administration from the school in 1986, and would go on to add a master's degree in sport management from the United States Sports Academy in 1994.
Fowler and his wife, Carolyn, have four children — Megan, Geoffrey, Morgan and Madison.
Individuals interested in reserving season tickets for the 2013-14 USA women's basketball campaign may contact the USA Athletic Ticket Office by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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