Ladner Selects Marlene Stollings To Complete Women's Basketball Staff

OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss women’s basketball head coach Renee Ladner made her first move as the Rebel leader by tabbing Marlene Stollings as an assistant coach, filling the vacancy created when Ladner was selected to replace the retiring Carol Ross as head coach in late April. Stollings’ appointment is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning.

“Marlene is a multi-talented young coach with experience in all areas of the game,” said Ladner, who is beginning her first season at the helm of the program. “Her energy and enthusiasm will be contagious and she will be a huge asset to our program.”

Stollings, who recently completed a two-year stint as an assistant on the Saint Louis coaching staff, brings a rich background to Ole Miss with extensive experience as both a player and a coach at the Division I level.

In her time with the Billikens, she helped the team improve in numerous areas as SLU ranked in the top half of the Atlantic 10 Conference in five team categories during the 2005-06 season. In addition, eight players reached career highs in single-game scoring in 2005-06. Stollings' work with the guards was instrumental in helping one Billiken guard triple her career scoring average and earn second-team All-Conference honors.

Stollings' first recruiting class as co-recruiting coordinator for the Billikens was arguably the best in school history. The 2005 class includes Miss Illinois Basketball and two All-State performers from Ohio.

She brings proven experience in rebuilding programs, having done so at three previous stops, Wright State, New Mexico State and Jacksonville. Prior to SLU, Stollings was an assistant coach at Wright State for the 2003-04 season. The Raiders won a postseason game for just the second time in school history that year and finished with a winning home record for the first time in eight seasons. Stollings coached one All-Conference team selection as well as an All-Newcomer squad member.

In December 2002, Stollings was appointed interim head coach at New Mexico State and guided the team to a 9-3 record. The Aggies claimed first place in the Sun Belt West Division for the first time in school history and had two players named to the All-Conference team. The Aggies led the country in 3-point field goals made that season at 8.8 per game and set an NCAA record with 21 treys in a game. In addition, the team set a school record for free throw percentage at 76.3 percent. Stollings was an assistant at NMSU for two seasons and spent one year at Jacksonville University in Florida. The Dolphins set school records that year for overall and conference wins along with the team's best conference finish.

As a collegiate player, Stollings earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors after finishing eighth in the nation and leading the league in scoring at 22.9 points per game her senior year. Stollings drained a school record 10 three-point baskets and scored a Bobcat record 41 points against Robert Morris on Dec. 30, 1997. She served as team captain for the Bobcats and earned Kodak All-American honorable mention honors in 1998.

Off the court, she earned the Ohio University Alumni Scholar Athlete Citation and Dean's list honors. She graduated with both a B.B.A. in Marketing and a B.S. in Sport Industry from Ohio University in 1998. Stollings began her collegiate playing career at The Ohio State University and was a two-time scholar athlete for the Buckeyes.

Following her collegiate playing career, Stollings played one season professionally for Club ABB Baden in Switzerland. She was later invited to the WNBA Utah Starzz training camp in 1999, and also played for the NWBL Mobile Majesty. While playing professionally in Europe, Stollings coached a men's club team to an undefeated season.

Stollings had an outstanding prep career at Beaver-Eastern High School in Pike County, Ohio. She finished as the leading scorer in the history of Ohio high school basketball (both boys and girls) with 3,514 points. This point total still remains the highest in Ohio history. The 1993 Ohio Miss Basketball was also presented a resolution by both the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives for her academic and athletic achievement. Stollings was a two-time Division III Player of the Year and four-time conference Player of the Year. She earned Kodak All-American honors her senior season. Her name currently appears over 30 times in the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) record books. In her honor, February 19 was declared Marlene Stollings Day in Pike County, Ohio.

“I'm very proud and honored to be joining the Ole Miss family,” said Stollings. “I am grateful for this exciting and challenging opportunity to work at a program with such a storied tradition, all while competing as a member of the best conference in the country.  When I visited campus, I immediately knew in my heart that this was the place for me."

With the hiring of Stollings, Ladner’s staff is complete as she takes over the helm of the Rebel program that posted a 24-11 overall mark and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Rebels return two starters and 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad. Incoming freshmen Kayla Holloway and Kayla Melson join the team in 2007-08, along with Florida transfer LaKendra Phillips.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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