Though she has seen the game from many vantage points throughout her 29-year head coaching career – enjoying stays in Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas, and in each division of NCAA basketball – there is one place Sandra Rushing has consistently resided.
The top.
Since becoming a collegiate head coach at the age of 24, Rushing has spent much of the last three decades overseeing highly successful programs, logging more than 550 wins during that time. And despite a wildly successful career that has included two Final Fours and six straight Sweet 16s at Division II powerhouse Delta State (where she compiled a 254-58 (.814) record in her 10 seasons), at Central Arkansas she has found a way to climb even higher.
In 2016 and 2017 she guided her Central Arkansas teams to a combined 54-9 record and back-to-back NCAA Tournaments – the program’s first two appearances in the Division I championship. And despite losing a trio of all-conference players to graduation, in 2017-18 the Sugar Bears continued their run by advancing to the championship game of the WBI and won at least 25 games for the third straight season – one of just 17 Division I programs to do so in each of those three years.
During that three-year period, the Sugar Bears compiled a 79-19 (.806) overall record, 51-9 record (.850) vs. Southland Conference opponents, 41-6 record (.872) at home, and an 8-4 (.667) postseason record. And in 2017-18, the Sugar Bears broke the Southland Conference record for scoring defense – allowing just 50.9 points per game to finish 2nd in the nation after ranking 4th nationally following the 2016-17 regular season and 9th in 2015-16.
Under Rushing’s watch, the Sugar Bears reached program records with 28 overall wins, 26 regular-season wins and 16 Southland Conference wins in 2015-16; then followed with 16 Southland wins again in 2016-17 en route to the program’s second Southland Conference regular-season championship in six years as Rushing earned Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors.
In those two championship years, the Sugar Bears went 54-9 (.857) overall, 50-7 in regular season (.877), 36-4 (.900) vs conference opponents, 26-3 (.897) at home, 28-6 (.824) in road & neutral games overall and an astounding 21-1 (.955) in road/neutral games against conference foes. The 54 wins was the highest two-season total for a Southland program since Stephen F. Austin had 56 in 1991 and 1992. Rushing's Sugar Bears received 14 seeds in the NCAA tournament in both years, the highest seed for a Southland team since 2007 and becoming only the 3rd Southland program ever to earn a 14 seed or better in consecutive years. Before losing to 3rd-seeded Texas, the Sugar Bears had won 17 straight games – the fourth-longest streak in the country.
In 2016-17 the Sugar Bears were among the national Top 100 in RPI – ranking 82nd as of 3/12/17, ahead of 35 teams from the ACC, Big 10, Big XII, Pac 12, SEC, AAC and Big East. They also reached the 2nd-highest ranking in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 in program history, climbing as high as No. 16 after winning the Southland tournament for the 2nd straight season, winning 60-35 while holding Stephen F. Austin to the lowest point total in Southland tournament championship game history. In 2015-16, the Sugar Bears went undefeated on the road in conference play for the first time in program history and put together an impressive 15-1 record away from home, winning 15 straight road and neutral games after an early-season loss at No. 4 Tennessee – the nation's 4th-longest streak in 2015-16 behind only UConn, South Carolina and Colorado State.
At Delta State from 2002-12, Rushing was the league's Coach of the Year a record-setting six times and was named Coach of the Decade in 2010 while taking the Lady Statesmen to eight NCAA Tournaments and six Gulf South Conference titles. Her teams reached the Final Four in consecutive years in 2008 & '09 and made six consecutive Sweet 16 appearances between 2006-11. In 2011 she was named the WBCA Region 5 Coach of the Year.
Over her last seven seasons in Cleveland, Miss., Rushing's teams averaged more than 28 wins per season and had three teams reach the 30-win mark – including a 33-1 season in '07-'08 with the lone loss coming in the national semifinal. During that stretch, the Lady Statesmen were an incredible 198-30 (.868) and put together a 64-game winning streak on their home floor from '07-'11.
"Coach Rushing is a tireless recruiter and is committed to molding young women to success on and off the court," said Dr. Brad Teague, UCA Director of Athletics. "We are excited to have someone with over 20 years of extreme success in coaching and one whom I know and have worked with. She has over 10 years' experience at a Division I program and 10 years at the top Division II program in the country. She is a winner and doesn't accept anything but success. Coach Rushing will commit all of her time and effort into the success of Sugar Bear basketball and we are excited and fortunate to have her talents at UCA."
Prior to her time at Delta State, a storied program with six national championships to its credit, Rushing spent one season at Division II Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark. In her one season at Henderson, she brought a halt to the Lady Reddies' six-year run of sub-.500 seasons and laid the foundation for a program that would go on to see 97 wins and four straight 20-win seasons in the years immediately following.
In addition to her tremendous Division II success, Rushing brings many years of Division I experience to UCA as well, having spent 11 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference as the head coach at University of Texas-El Paso from 1990-2001. During her time in El Paso, Rushing accumulated what was then a program-record 123 wins, broke the school record for wins in a season, and was inducted into the El Paso Commission for Women Hall of Fame in 1999.
She began her head coaching career with one season at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. in 1989-90 after two years as a graduate assistant at Delta State the two years prior.
Rushing played collegiately at Alabama, where she was a four-time Academic All-SEC selection and holds the Crimson Tide's career free throw percentage record. She earned her Bachelor's of Science in Physical Education from Alabama in 1986 before getting her Master's of Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Delta State two years later.
Introductory Press Conference
at Central Arkansas (2012-present, nine seasons)
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
| 2012-13 |
15-15 (.500) |
8-10 (.444) - 6th |
| 2013-14 |
18-12 (.600) |
12-6 (.667) - 3rd |
| 2014-15 |
17-14 (.548) |
10-8 (.555) - 6th |
| 2015-16 |
28-4 (.875) |
16-2 (.889) - 2nd |
| 2016-17 |
26-5 (.839) |
16-2 (.889) - 1st |
| 2017-18 |
25-10 (.714) |
14-4 (.778) - 3rd |
| 2018-19 |
12-18 (.400) |
6-12 (.333) - 8th |
| 2019-20 |
13-16 (.448) |
9-11 (.450) - 8th |
| 2020-21 |
13-14 (.481) |
9-7 (.562) - 5th |
| TOTAL |
167-108 (.607) |
100-62 (.617) |
at Delta State (2002-12, 10 seasons)
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
| 2002-03 |
18-8 (.692) |
12-4 (.750) - 4th |
| 2003-04 |
23-8 (.742) |
12-4 (.750) - 3rd |
| 2004-05 |
15-12 (.555) |
7-9 (.438) - 6th |
| 2005-06 |
30-3 (.909) |
14-2 (.875) - 1st |
| 2006-07 |
28-4 (.875) |
13-1 (.929) - 1st |
| 2007-08 |
33-1 (.971) |
14-0 (1.000) - 1st |
| 2008-09 |
30-7 (.811) |
13-1 (.929) - 1st |
| 2009-10 |
27-4 (.871) |
12-2 (.857) - 1st |
| 2010-11 |
28-4 (.875) |
12-2 (.857) - 2nd |
| 2011-12 |
22-7 (.759) |
12-2 (.857) - 1st |
| TOTAL |
254-58 (.814) |
121-27 (.818) |
at Henderson State (2001-02, one season)
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
| 2001-02 |
13-13 (.500) |
7-9 (.438) - 5th |
| TOTAL |
13-13 (.500) |
7-9 (.438) |
at UTEP (1990-2001, 11 seasons)
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
| 1990-91 |
5-22 (.185) |
2-10 (.167) - 7th |
| 1991-92 |
11-17 (.393) |
4-10 (.286) - 6th |
| 1992-93 |
18-10 (.643) |
8-6 (.571) - 4th |
| 1993-94 |
10-16 (.385) |
5-9 (.357) - 5th |
| 1994-95 |
13-15 (.464) |
6-8 (.429) - 4th |
| 1995-96 |
12-15 (.444) |
3-11 (.214) - 7th |
| 1996-97 |
13-12 (.520) |
5-11 (.313) - 7th |
| 1997-98 |
16-11 (.593) |
10-6 (.625) - 3rd |
| 1998-99 |
12-15 (.444) |
6-8 (.429) - 5th |
| 1999-00 |
5-22 (.185) |
2-12 (.143) - 7th |
| 2000-01 |
8-20 (.286) |
4-12 (.250) - 7th |
| TOTAL |
123-175 (.413) |
55-103 (.348) |
at Millsaps (1989-90, one season)
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
| 1989-90 |
13-10 (.565) |
NA |
| TOTAL |
13-10 (.565) |
NA |
Total (1989-present, 32 seasons)
| School |
Overall Record |
Conference |
| Millsaps (1989-90) |
13-10 (.565) |
NA |
| UTEP (1990-2001) |
123-175 (.413) |
55-103 (.348) |
| Henderson State (2001-02) |
13-13 (.500) |
7-9 (.438) |
| Delta State (2002-12) |
254-58 (.814) |
121-27 (.818) |
| Central Arkansas (2012-present) |
167-108 (.607) |
100-62 (.617) |
| TOTAL |
570-364 (.610) |
283-201 (.584) |
