VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) — USD was forced to search for their 12th women’s basketball coach in program history, following the departure of Kayla Karius to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The program now has a new leader, who is fulfilling a dream with her new job.
USD Athletic Director Jon Schemmel was hired in January. Less than four months into his tenure, he was tasked with finding the next head coach for the women’s basketball team.
“It’s crazy, having to do a coaching search for a women’s basketball job, before I even got into my home down here. A little bit hectic there for sure,” Schemmel said. “Step one was assembling the team and getting organized.”
The university held formal interviews with several coaches, but one stood out… Carrie Eighmey.
“There was one person who referred to this as a dream job and a job that’s been in their eye for a long time,” Schemmel said.
USD also received tips from a pair of former coaches in Amy Williams and Dawn Plitzuweit. Both of whom spoke highly of Eighmey.
USD Head Coach Carrie Eighmey
“They’re not picking anybody, they’re just offering input. It wasn’t just about candidates, it was about the job and really understanding what made them so successful here,” Schemmel said.
USD’s national success, fan support and proximity to her hometown of Edgar, Nebraska made this opportunity the ‘dream job’ for Eighmey.
“South Dakota is a program that is nationally recognized. That is largely due to the fact that over the course of the last decade, they’ve had national success,” Eighmey said.
It’s already been a busy week for Carrie and the Coyotes. Along with the returning talent of Grace Larkins and others, coach Eighmey has added other talent through the transfer portal.
“We’re going to make sure that we have a roster that we feel like is going to be highly competitive in the Summit League,” Eighmey said.
Eighmey also said they’ll need to begin recruiting at the high school level for the class of 2025 and 2026.
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