D3hoops.com: Notables

Lane Loyd, a former men's basketball assistant coach at East Texas Baptist, has been hired as the new Lady Tigers head basketball coach effectively immediately.

Kent Reeves, ETBU's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, announced the hiring Wednesday, June 4. Loyd replaces Jay Bowen, who resigned as head coach last month after just one year on the job.

“There were three things about Lane that really made him stand out as a candidate for us,” said Reeves in announcing Loyd as the ninth head coach in the program's history. "No. 1, we know him and he knows ETBU. No. 2, he has coached in the East Texas area and will have a network with area coaches. And No. 3, we feel like Lane will give us some stability to the position and be with us for awhile. It's difficult to build a program when you change coaches every couple of years."

Loyd was the top assistant coach for ETBU's men's basketball coach Bert West in the 2001-02 season, when the Tigers finished 12-12.

“We are really happy for this opportunity to return home,” said Loyd, who has worked the past year as admissions counselor for University of the Ozarks' teacher education program in Clarksville, Ark. “Our eyes are open to what (ETBU) is all about, and there's a great spirit on campus that is hard to find. My family and I are excited about the challenge and looking forward to the opportunity.”

Loyd has coached extensively in the high school and college ranks after receiving a B.A. in Education from Austin in 1990. Along with his experience at ETBU, Loyd has coached collegiately at Ouachita Baptist as well as Lipscomb.

At ETBU Loyd will be taking over a women's program that isn't far removed from a large amount of success in the American Southwest Conference. The Lady Tigers slipped to 8-16 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in four years. But prior to that, ETBU was on the cusp of winning the conference championship and making an NCAA postseason appearance. The Lady Tigers finished 22-5 in 2006-07 and were undefeated ASC East champions for the first time in seven years.

“I think the program has shown over the years that it is equipped to compete in this league,” Loyd said. “We want to win, and everything we do will be geared toward that. I like to play a style that is fun and exciting, as long as we have the type of players that allow us to do that. Fast tempo, skill players who can shoot the basketball, and good post-up players are what make the game exciting. Building that level of excitement that we need night in and night out will be key for us as we get this thing going.”

Loyd's first order of business will be to hit the recruiting trail, he said.

"We are behind the eight ball because it's late in the game," he said. "We are busy contacting our veteran players and players who had already committed (before the coaching change). That's going to be the biggest, most pressing issue. You can coach all you want but the teams that win usually have the best players, and we are going to go after the best players we can get at every position. The only way to do that is recruit, so we've got a lot of work to do."

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