New Sheriff in Town: Wyatt Foust Named New Women’s Basketball Head Coach

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After a seven-year stint, going 140-79, winning three Big South Tournament Championships, and making three NCAA Tournament appearances, former head coach Chelsea Banbury left High Point in order to take a coaching position at VCU. Taking over for Banbury is former Murray State Head Coach Wyatt Foust, where he accumulated a 98-34 record over four seasons and led the Racers to the No. 12 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

Coming into a whole new atmosphere, Foust and the team had a lot to learn about each other. It didn't take long for them to figure out what each player and staff member could uniquely bring to the table, delivering high hopes for the upcoming season.

“I think our ceiling is incredibly high and the floor is incredibly high. If we stay healthy, we should be the favorites to win the league,” Foust said.

This team has many returners, with the likes of Chana Paxixe, Peyton Gerdes, and Dakota Phillips, to name a few. Joining the returners are key transfers such as Meredith Tipner (Miami transfer), Juliann Woodard (Michigan State transfer), and Taylor Feldman (Purdue transfer). With all of those pieces bringing different attributes, Foust is hoping that their experience can make an impact.

“They’ve gone through the gauntlet of no nights off, but coming from the ACC and two from the BIG Ten, you can’t take anything for granted. In our league, it’s important to have that every day and every game, no matter the opponent. It is important for us to accomplish what we want to accomplish,” Foust said.

With high expectations coming off the team’s recent success, Foust will have to create his own identity within the team. While many fans may be honed in on the team’s ability to win the conference and make yet another tournament appearance, Foust is emphasizing the importance of building a strong foundation in his first season. Rather than measuring the team's success solely by wins and losses, he’s hoping to build a group based on family, fun, and winning that he hopes can shape the program for many years. 

“For us in year one, we want to establish our family, fun, win culture, and what that actually looks like when you live it out on a day-to-day basis,” Foust said.

Foust is also aiming to help his players grow, not only on the court but in life after basketball. He schedules mandatory meetings with players to go over things outside of basketball, as well as focusing on the mental well-being of his athletes.

“We also meet with them once a week, and it’s not allowed to be about basketball. We just talk to them about life and the things that they're going through,” Foust said.

Foust and his team have opened the season with two straight wins and will look to keep the momentum going this Saturday when they make a trip to Greenville, SC Wednesday night to face off against ECU at 7 p.m.