Southern University

Since Sandy Pugh's arrival in 2000, Southern University Women's Basketball has ascended to become one of the most storied programs in the State of Louisiana and the Southwestern Athletic Conference. During a stellar career that spans 18 years, Southern Women's Basketball has provided the Jaguar Nation with years of pride, she led SU to four SWAC Tournament titles, four NCAA first round Appearances, four WNIT post season appearances and four SWAC Coach of the Year accolades.

Coach Pugh led Southern to 15 seasons with a .500 or better record, including 14 winning seasons. She posted five seasons of 20+ wins, and more than 300 victories during her tenure. In her second season as head coach, Pugh led Southern to a school record 26 wins and its first SWAC regular season and tournament titles and first NCAA Tournament appearance. The team was led by Jaclyn Winfield, who was drafted in the fourth round by the WNBA’s Utah Starzz and is the only SWAC player to be drafted in league history.
 
The 2002 championship was the first of three occasions Pugh and the Jaguars won both the SWAC regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament berth in the same season (shared regular season title in 2006, outright title in 2010). SU also won the SWAC Tournament championship following the 2004 season.

The 2010 title was the first of back-to-back regular season crowns for Pugh and the Jaguars, who also won the outright crown in 2014, 2017 and shared the title with Alabama State and Texas Southern in 2016.

She is the all time winningest coach in Southern University Women's Basketball history, finishing with a 306-224 overall record, with a 57.7% winning percentage.
  
Pugh began her coaching career at her alma mater, Northwestern State (1987-89) as a graduate assistant, where the Lady Demons earned an NCAA Tournament berth following the 1989 season. After serving one season as head coach at Belle Place Middle School (New Iberia, La.; 1989-90), she spent five seasons as assistant coach at Louisiana-Monroe (1990-95), where the Warhawks were selected for the WNIT following the 1994 season. In her one season as an assistant coach at Central Florida (1995-96), the Lady Knights qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Prior to Southern, Pugh spent four seasons as head coach at Meridian Community College (1996-2000). She started the women’s program at MCC, leading the Eagles to two Region 23 titles and back-to-back national tournament berths (1998, 1999), finishing as high as sixth in the NJCAA National Tournament.  While there she led the team to a 76-19 overall finish.
 
A native of Saline, Louisiana, Pugh won two state championships as a player at Campti High (now Lakeview High School). As a collegian, Pugh was a three-time all-conference selection and led Northwestern State to three straight Gulf Star Conference Championships (1985, 1986, 1987). Pugh earned conference Player of the Year honors as a senior in 1987, averaging more than 21 points per game, and was inducted into the NSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.