April 22, 2003
Pam Stackhouse, an assistant coach at Purdue for the past seven years, has joined the women’s basketball staff Coach Mickie DeMoss announced Tuesday.
“Pam has been so instrumental in Purdue’s success over the last seven years,” DeMoss said. “She’s been a part of a national championship, an NCAA runner-up finish, and numerous Big Ten championships. We are fortunate to have her join us and she will definitely bring that winning attitude to our program.”
Stackhouse joins Matthew Mitchell, a former assistant at Florida, on the coaching staff. One assistant coaching position remains to be filled.
“To say that I’m excited is an understatement,” Stackhouse said. “I’ve known Mickie DeMoss for many years and am honored to join her staff. I believe in her and know she will make a difference at the University of Kentucky. Basketball is king in Kentucky and as someone who has a true passion for the sport I am thrilled to be a Wildcat.”
Stackhouse came to Purdue in 1996 under then-head coach Nell Fortner and quickly experienced success. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten title that season and finished 17-11 overall.”She brings so much experience coming from some great programs such as Louisiana Tech and Purdue,” Fortner, now the head coach/general manager of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, said. “She helped Purdue win a national championship and get back to the national championship game and that is just a tremendous experience. She knows what kind of athlete it takes and what kind of attitude it takes to win. She’s seen it in both of places she’s been. More importantly, she is a wonderful person. She possesses great integrity and loyalty. The players love her, trust her and relate to her quickly. She is just a top-notch coach.”
A year later, Carolyn Peck took over Purdue and with Stackhouse’s help the Boilermakers collected the most coveted hardware in the game, the 1999 NCAA Championship trophy. “Pam was already at Purdue when I took the head job and I’ve told her before that we couldn’t have done the things we did without her,” Peck said, who now coaches at Florida. “The players loved her. She is an excellent teacher and she pays attention to detail. Not only was she in charge of on-the-floor coaching, but academics as well. Our team had an overall 3.0-plus grade-point average all three years while I was at Purdue. Academics were something I never had to be concerned with because Pam was getting it done. She’s a great hire. UK and Mickie DeMoss are very fortunate to have her.”
Stackhouse was a staff member during Purdue’s 2001 NCAA runner-up finish, its four Big Ten regular-season championships (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002), and its four Big Ten Tournament championships titles (1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003). This past season, the Boilermakers were only one game away from advancing to the Final Four, falling to eventual national champion Connecticut in the regional finals. Purdue finished with an impressive 29-6overall record, 12-4 in conference play.
Prior to Purdue, Stackhouse began her collegiate coaching experience in 1995 at her alma mater Louisiana Tech under legendary coach Leon Barmore. She helped lead the tradition-rich Lady Techsters to a 31-2 record and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. She also worked four years in the department’s academic advising center, helping the Lady Techsters become one of the leaders in graduation rates in the Sun Belt Conference.
“Pam is one of the very best assistant coaches our game has,” Barmore said. “She’s going to be great for Mickie and for UK. When I had her at Louisiana Tech she was very valuable to me. She was very loyal and very understanding of the student-athlete and what it takes to be successful. I think Mickie has hired one of the very best coaches she could possibly hire.”In eight years as an assistant coach, Stackhouse has compiled a remarkable 241-57 record (80.8).
The 41-year-old is a native of Jennings, La., and is a 1991 graduate of Louisiana Tech. She received a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education before earning her master’s degree in counseling from there in 1993. Stackhouse enjoys playing golf, reading, running and spending time with her Yorshire terrier, Zach.
