Sandy Pugh Steps Down As Head Coach Of Prairie View A&M Women's Basketball

HOUSTON — Veteran women's basketball coach Sandy Pugh announced her resignation as the head coach of Prairie View A&M University's (PVAMU) women's basketball team, effective Mar. 17, 2025.   

"As I step into the next chapter of my life," Pugh said.  "I am filled with gratitude for the incredible journey at Prairie View A&M University. Coaching for over 30 years — the last seven as Head Coach of the PVAMU Women's Basketball team — has been an honor. Through victories and challenges, the resilience and dedication of this community have shaped me in ways I will forever cherish. To my staff, fellow coaches, and the athletes I've had the privilege to lead, thank you for the camaraderie and unwavering support. The memories we've built together will remain with me always."

Pugh's decision marks the end of a seven-year run at Prairie View A&M. Her storied career spans over three decades from her time at Southern University and Meridian Community College and assistant coaching roles at Northwestern State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Central Florida.

Happy for her that she's moving on to the next phase of her life," Prairie View A&M Athletic Director Anton Goff told HBCU Legends. "We've already started a national search for the next women's basketball coach, and that's where we're at right now."   

Goff explained that his department and the school would handle the search rather than using an executive search firm.

Her final game was against Texas Southern, resulting in a 69-49 loss during the quarterfinals of the 2025 Starry SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament held at the Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia, on Mar. 12.

Tenure at Prairie View A&M (2018–2025)

Pugh joined Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in May 2018 after spending 18 years at Southern University. During her seven seasons with the Panthers, she revitalized the program, achieving one of its best records since the 2012-13 season with a 17-14 record in 2019.

That year, she also secured the No. 2 seed in the SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament.

Past players like Shala Dobbins and Artavia Ford earned All-SWAC honors under her guidance. This year, Crystal Schultz was named SWAC Freshman of the Year.  

The 2024-25 regular season produced a  10-18 record and an early exit at the hands of crosstown rival Texas Southern.  

Legacy at Southern University (2000–2018)

Before PVAMU, Pugh built a powerhouse at Southern, leading the Jaguars to:

• 7 SWAC regular-season titles (4 outright, 3 shared)
• 4 SWAC Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament berths (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)
• 4 WNIT appearances and a program-record 26-win season in 2001–021.
• She produced Jaclyn Winfield, the first and only SWAC player drafted into the WNBA, and earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors four times.  
• Pugh also served as Southern's interim Athletic Director from 2011–12.

Resignation and Next Steps

It will be difficult for Prairie View A&M's athletic director, Anton Goff, to find Pugh's replacement as the Lady Panther's head coach.

Additional PVAMU Coverage

TSU CRUSHES PVAMU

The 2025 Starry SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals game quickly became a "NO CONTEST" bout as No. 2 Texas Southern defeated No. 10 Prairie View A&M, 69-49, at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

"We had to get warmed up," Coach Vernette Skeete said about her team's performance after halftime. "We had to get used to the goals we set, and we felt like it was even, it was time to turn up, finish our shots, and execute...we got the jitters out of us, and came alive in the second half."

All-SWAC guard Aylasia Fantroy had a double-double after leading all scorers with 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the victory. Courtlyn Loudermill posted 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block. Guard Daeja Holmes contributed 12 points and hauled-in two defensive rebounds for the Lady Tigers.

"We got to stay disciplined, and it's going to be ours," TSU guard Daeja Holmes noted in her postgame interview.

Texas Southern took an 18-8 lead during the first quarter, but the Lady Panthers closed the gap to trail by eight points, 34-26, at halftime.

The Lady Tigers had 26 fastbreak points in the 3rd period to increase their advantage, 50-27, for 4:12 minutes.

Prairie View A&M attempted to make a couple of runs but did minor damage as Texas Southern would extend its lead to 69-45 in the final minutes. The Lady Tigers left the court victorious with a 20-point win, defeating PVAMU for a third time this season.

Nyam Thornton did not have her best outing but still led the Lady Panthers with 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Freshman center Amauri Williams left the game with five personal fouls after scoring just five points.

Texas Southern will have a day off to rest before entering the semifinal round on Friday, Mar. 14, against the No. 3 Alabama A&M and No. 8 Alcorn State contest winner.

SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament: The Clash Between Prairie View vs. Texas Southern

HOUSTON - Wednesday morning's opening contest between No. 2 Texas Southern (15-14) and No. 10 Prairie View A&M (10-18) has all the makings of an epic showdown. The H-Town area HBCU basketball rivals will tip off at 11 AM ET at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

This game will be the third matchup of the season between Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M, both won by the Lady Tigers. On Feb. 1, TSU defeated PVAMU, 82-69, and again in the season finale on Mar. 8, 64-60. We witnessed in the final contest how Texas Southern overcame a 16-point deficit to rally and win by four points.

Expect a highly competitive and contentious clash between the crosstown rivals who have "Bad Blood" between one another. After the Lady Panthers pulled off the opening round upset against Bethune-Cookman, star player Nyam Thornton (16 points, 4 rebounds) said in a postgame interview about TSU, "They know what's coming." Shots fired!

Under third-year coach Vernette Skeete and her Flux Offense, the Lady Tigers rattled off 11 straight conference wins. That was before the injury bug hindered their progress in the later part of TSU's season.  

The major setbacks have been losing starting guard Aaliyah Henderson (in concussion protocol). In the last game, forward Treasure Thompson was out, and Daeja Holmes had a non-contact injury. Expect a heavy rotation with TSU pounding the paint with Deivejon Harris and Jaida Belton to complement the shooting of Courtlyn Loudermill and All-SWAC player Aylasia Fantroy.

Against Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M center Amauri Williams was a force in the paint, scoring 12 points and grabbing three rebounds. However, watch the matchups with Nyam Thornton, CJ Wilson, and Ash'a Thompson, who are hoping to create havoc for TSU. In the finale, CJ Wilson led all scorers with a 20-point effort in the loss.

According to TSU Athletics, "Since the 2012-13 season, Texas Southern holds an 18-12 record against PVAMU." However, throw out the record books. Today's clash could have SWAC Tournament spectators applauding the rise of Coach Vernette Skeete or the mastery of the legend Coach Sandy Pugh.

The Last 10 Games

• Prairie View A&M's offense in the last 10 games is scoring 56.0 points per game.
• Texas Southern's offense in the previous 10 games scored 64.5 points per game.

PREDICTION

A Close One!!!

Women's Tournament Schedule (All times in EST)

How To Watch

• All of the scheduled women's basketball games will broadcast on ESPN +

SWAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POSTSEASON HONORS

The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2024-25 All-SWAC Women's Basketball teams and individual award winners. The all-conference honors were voted on by the league’s coaches and sports information directors. In order to be eligible for awards student-athletes must have participated in a minimum of 75 percent of their team’s games played this season.

Jackson State’s Taleah Dilworth was named Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year while Alcorn State’s Destiny Brown claimed Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

Prairie View A&M’s Crystal Schultz was selected as Freshman of the Year, and Southern’s Carlos Funchess was voted SWAC Coach of the Year.

In her first season at Jackson State, Dilworth led the conference in scoring most of the season registering a total of 475 points and averaging 16.4 points a game. She opened the 2024-25 campaign scoring her 1,000th career point on the road against Missouri. Dilworth has recorded 28 double-figure scoring games this season.

Brown was a key figure for the Alcorn State Lady Braves as she led her team in points per game (12.4 ppg) as well as block shots per game (1.8 bpg). She tallied 47 total blocks in 26 games played this season while leading the Braves to a 10-8 overall conference record.

Schultz had a phenomenal debut season for the Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers during the 2024-25 campaign. She averaged 9.3 points per game while scoring 169 total points.

Funchess led the Southern Jaguars to a spectacular season as SU claimed the 2024-25 SWAC Women's Basketball regular season title with a 15-3 conference record.

The complete listing of the SWAC all-conference women's basketball selections and individual awards winners are as follows:

Coach of the Year

Carlos Funchess, Southern

Player of the Year

Taleah Dilworth, Jackson State

Defensive Player of the Year

Destiny Brown, Alcorn State

Newcomer of the Year

Taleah Dilworth, Jackson State

Freshman of the Year

Crystal Schultz, Prairie View A&M

All-SWAC First Team

Taleah Dilworth, Jackson State

Alisha Wilson, Alabama A&M

Kaila Walker, Alabama A&M

Aylasia Fantroy, Texas Southern

Destiny Brown, Alcorn State

All-SWAC Second Team

Aniya Gourdine, Southern

Kahia Warmsley, Grambling State

Cordasia Harris, Alabama State

Asianae Nicholson, Bethune-Cookman

Cheyenne McEvans, Florida A&M

SWAC Women's Basketball Brackets Has No. 1 Jaguars Ready For Epic Tourney Showdowns

The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced its 2025 Starry SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Buick seedings featuring the league’s top ten teams at the conclusion of regular season play.

2025 SWAC Women's Regular Season Champion Southern enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed (15-3 SWAC).

Texas Southern claimed the No. 2 seed (14-4 SWAC) while Alabama A&M claimed the No. 3 seed (14-4 SWAC) in the tournament followed by No. 4 seed Jackson State (13-5 SWAC).

Grambling State is the No. 5 seed (12-6 SWAC) followed by No. 6 seed Alcorn State (10-8 SWAC).

Bethune-Cookman (7-11 SWAC) and Florida A&M (6-12 SWAC) will enter the tournament as the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds respectively.

Mississippi Valley State (6-12 SWAC) and Prairie View A&M (6-12) claimed the final two tournament bids and will enter the tournament as the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds respectively.

In the event of a tie in conference records the league’s  was used to determine final seedings.

The 2025 Starry SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament presented by Buick is scheduled to be played on March 11-15 at Gateway Center Arena located in Atlanta, Ga.

SWAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SEEDING

1. Southern: 15-3
2. Texas Southern: 14-4
3. Alabama A&M: 14-4
4. Jackson State: 13-5
5. Grambling State: 12-6
6. Alcorn State: 10-8
7. Bethune-Cookman: 7-11
8. Florida A&M: 7-11
9. Mississippi Valley State: 6-12
10. Prairie View A&M: 6-12

The upcoming tournament schedule of games is listed below.

SWAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

March 11 11:00 am Game One: No. 7 Bethune-Cookman vs. No. 10 Prairie View A&M ESPN+

March 11 5:30 pm Game Two: No. 8 Florida A&M vs. No. 9 Mississippi Valley State ESPN+

March 12 11:00 am Game Three: No. 2 Texas Southern vs. Winner Game One ESPN+

March 12 5:30 pm Game Four: No. 1 Southern vs. Winner Game Two ESPN+

March 13 11:00 am Game Five: No. 3 Alabama A&M vs. No. 6 Alcorn State ESPN+

March 13 5:30 pm Game Six: No. 4 Jackson State vs. No. 5 Grambling State ESPN+

March 14 11:00 am Game Seven: Winner Game Three vs. Winner Game Five ESPN+

March 14 5:30 pm Game Eight: Winner Game Four vs. Winner Game Six ESPN+

March 15 5:30 pm Championship: Winner Game Eight vs. Winner Game Seven ESPN+

All times listed Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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