Finalists Emerge In Houston Women’s Basketball Head Coaching Search — A PaperCity Exclusive

WICHITA, Kansas — The University of Houston women’s basketball head coaching job search is nearing its conclusion with clear finalists emerging, PaperCity has learned. Current UTSA and former University of Texas head coach Karen Aston and former three time SEC Coach of the Year Matthew Mitchell are finalists for the jobs, multiple sources tell PaperCity. Current Old Dominion coach and two-time Olympic gold medalist DeLisha Milton-Jones is also in the mix, but hasn’t risen to clear finalist status as of now, a source with knowledge of the search tells PaperCity.

University of Houston’s first year athletic director Eddie Nuñez has already met with Aston, Mitchell and Milton-Jones, college athletic sources tell PaperCity. Other coaches have been contacted, but they’re not considered among the front runners for the job at this time.

Houston athletic department leadership looks at this job as a difference making opportunity for women’s athletics at the university in general, considering UH women’s basketball to be a potential sleeping giant in the Big 12. Turning that long untapped potential into on-court success will be no easy task though. Finding a proven winner and someone who can also mesh with Kelvin Sampson’s nationally elite basketball program have been priorities in the search, sources tell PaperCity.

The 60-year-old Aston has gone 64-62 in four seasons at UTSA after taking over something of a rebuild, but she brings a .627 winning percentage overall in her long coaching career (with a 349-208 record) and has experience recruiting Texas high school athletes at the highest level. Aston’s also coached under three Hall of Fame coaches in Jody Conradt (Texas), Kim Mulkey (Baylor) and and Sonja Hogg (Baylor).

The 54-year-old Matthew Mitchell has intrigued a number of Power 4 schools as something of an unexpected candidate in this coaching cycle, but also one of the game’s proven winners. Mitchell retired from the Kentucky women’s head job in 2020 after going through brain surgery after an unexpected fall during COVID. Taking his doctors advice to take it easy for a while to allow himself to recover, Mitchell stepped away from coaching with his wife very financially successful.

But Mitchell is interested in getting back into the game now for the right big job opportunity. He won 69 percent of his games (281-125) and made nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons (including three Elite Eight runs) at Kentucky. He also co-existed well with some of the biggest head coaching personalities in the men’s game, sometimes even having his women’s teams scrimmage against the Kentucky men’s team.

The 50-year-old DeLisha Milton-Jones brings experience as a super high level women’s basketball player. She played 17 years in the WNBA, winning Olympic gold with the powerhouse U.S. Women’s Basketball team in 2000 and 2008. She is in her fifth season at Old Dominion after stints as an assistant at Pepperdine and Syracuse.

The new UH women’s basketball coach will be replacing Ronald Hughey, who was pushed to “resign” after a 5-25 season.

University of Houston’s first year athletic director Eddie Nuñez sees an opportunity for so much in women’s basketball at UH, thinks Houston deserves more from what should be one of its signature women’s sports programs.

“I see the potential in all our women’s teams,” Nuñez told PaperCity earlier in the search. “I really do. I think basketball has the ability to really have such an uptick. Much more than many others because honestly it just hasn’t been where we possibly could be. So I do believe. Houston for a long time had a WNBA team which was rocking here. And they were doing a great job.

“So I know the fan base is here for women’s basketball. So we’ve got to get out there and put a product that they’re happy with, that they enjoy to see. Similar to men’s basketball.”

Nuñez hopes to have one someone hired within the next week and is pushing to get it done in a matter of days.