Tusculum’s Missy Tiber Stepping Down To Take Position At Southern Illinois

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College women's basketball coach Missy Tiber has announced she will be stepping down after four successful seasons at the helm of the Pioneer program. Tiber was named the new women's basketball coach at NCAA Division I Southern Illinois University, Thursday afternoon in Carbondale, Ill.

In just four years, Tiber resurrected the storied Tusculum women's basketball program back to prominence, leading the Pioneers to four consecutive winning seasons, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns. Since her arrival at the Greeneville, Tenn. campus, she guided the TC women to a sterling 86-34 record for a .717 winning percentage including back-to-back South Atlantic Conference Championships and two trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, both program firsts. She also guided the Pioneers to three runner-up finishes in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

This past year, the Pioneers finished the season ranked 21st in the final USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, after posting a 26-6 record en route to its second straight SAC title. The Pioneers also posted its first-ever win in the NCAA II Tournament, defeating Lander University in last month's opening round. Tusculum set or tied 10 individual and team program marks in its historic 2008-09 campaign, including a school-record 73.6% team free throw percentage. The Pioneers as a team set a new program record in blocked shots (157), as well as a pair of Pioneer Arena marks for points in a single game (107) and margin of victory (54) in TC's 107-53 win over North Greenville on Jan. 13.

"It truly is a sad day for the Tusculum College women's basketball team, but a very happy and deserving day for Missy Tiber," said TC Director of Athletics Frankie DeBusk. "Southern Illinois is getting a quality person, a great basketball coach and a winner. I am very appreciative of everything Missy has given the community, the College, the athletic department and most importantly, her players in her four years her at Tusculum."

Including a successful four-year run at Belmont Abbey College, Tiber has accounted for an impressive 167-70 career record (.705) as her teams have posted a winning campaign in each of her eights seasons, including four with 20 or more victories.

While at Tusculum, Tiber has coached an up-tempo style that produced some staggering numbers in her four Tusculum seasons.

"It has been a great experience at Tusculum these past four years," said Tiber. "I'm very grateful to the Tusculum community. I would especially like to thank (former TC athletic director) Ed Hoffmeyer and Frankie DeBusk for all their support over the years. The friendships and relationships I have developed over the years with the staff and the community mean so much to me and I will always cherish. But I especially want to thank the players I have had the privilege to be associated with at Tusculum. All the success we accomplished is because of them and I will always be truly thankful."

In 2007-08, the Pioneers enjoyed one of its finest seasons ever as Tusculum posted a 26-5 record and won the program's first-ever SAC title. TC mounted winning streaks of 12 and 11 games as the Pioneers claimed its first 20-win season in 11 years, while garnering the school's first NCAA Division II Tournament berth. The team finished nationally ranked in 10 statistical categories, including the seventh-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 78.7 points per game.

In her first season at Tusculum, Tiber took the Pioneers to new heights, leading the squad to an 18-10 showing, including a 7-7 conference record as the Pioneers tied for second place in the league. The 18-10 worksheet was a vast improvement over the 8-21 slate compiled by the squad in the year prior to Tiber's arrival. The overall 10-win improvement was the fifth-best margin in the nation (NCAA II). Tiber also led her young team to its first appearance in the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship. For her efforts, Tiber was named the SAC Coach of the Year.

The 2005-06 edition of the Pioneer women's basketball team made its way into the SAC Record Book in 22 different categories. Tiber built upon the current talent base with a strong nucleus of freshmen. As a team, TC ranked third in Division II averaging 8.7 three-point field goals per contest.

In 2006-07, Tusculum battled through numerous injuries to key personnel, but still posted a 16-13 record and advanced to the SAC Tournament semifinal for a second straight year. Tiber had two players go down with knee injuries, but with eight healthy bodies, Tusculum won four of its last five games, including a convincing 81-61 win over second-seeded Catawba College in the SAC Tournament quarterfinal. Tusculum led the league averaging 8.7 three-point field goals per game. TC also established a new TC and SAC single-season record with 252 three-pointers.

Tiber recorded her 100th career win on Nov. 17, 2006 as the Pioneers knocked off Converse College 79-55 in its season opener.

"When you hire good people that work hard and have a passion for their profession, unfortunately in athletics, you must prepare for this transition," added DeBusk. "Missy will be missed and quiet frankly hard to replace, but the foundation and the expectations to be successful are now in place for our program and the new coach can take the momentum Coach Tiber has built and continue the success. I wish only the best for Missy and I will be watching to see her compete for another championship at SIU."

In her four years at Belmont Abbey, Tiber guided the Crusaders to an 81-36 record, including a 22-8 mark in 2004-05, while advancing to the championship game of the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference (CVAC) Tournament. That 2004-05 club produced the No. 5 scoring team in the country, averaging 84 points per game. Belmont Abbey also tallied 8.7 three-point field goals per game that season, which was second in the land. She mentored eight all-conference selections while at the Belmont, N.C. school, including Nicole Woods, who earned NCAA Division II All-Region recognition in 2005. Woods averaged 18.5 points per game (29th in NCAA II) and was third nationally in assists, dishing out 8.1 per contest.

In her first season as a head coach, Tiber led Belmont Abbey to a 22-8 record, including a 16-4 mark in the league, while capturing a share of the CVAC Championship. That team also won the CVAC Tournament title and earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Crusaders went 19-10 the following year and tied for third in the conference race before falling in the CVAC Tournament quarterfinals. In 2003-04, Tiber guided the Abbey to an 18-10 showing and advanced to the CVAC Tournament semifinals.

Prior to arriving at Belmont Abbey, Tiber served six years as the assistant women's basketball coach at West Liberty State, her alma mater. During her tenure at West Liberty, the Hilltoppers won three West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) championships and four WVIAC Tournament titles and earned four NCAA Division II Tournament berths.

During her collegiate playing career at West Liberty, Tiber scored 926 points in her three seasons with the Hilltoppers. As a senior, she averaged 17 points per game, earning All-WVIAC honors, and was selected to the WVIAC All-Tournament squad.

Tiber, a native of Bellaire, Ohio, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from West Liberty in 1994. While at Belmont Abbey, she also served as the institution's Senior Woman Administrator for the 2004-05 academic year.

DeBusk indicated that a search for a new head coach will begin immediately.