BRISTOL, Tenn. –
Josh Thompson has resigned from his position as head women's basketball coach at King University.
"I am very grateful to
David Hicks for hiring me and giving me the opportunity to coach at King University," Thompson said. "I am also thankful to the administration for the love and support towards my family and the women's basketball program during my time here."
"At this time I feel that God is moving me on to something else. It will be a difficult transition as I leave coaching, especially leaving the players on this current team," Thompson continued.
Thompson has spent the last 10 years on the Tornado sidelines as he joined the staff in 2011. Following his first season in 2011-12, the Tornado improved their win total by 14 in 2012-13, going 14-13 and qualifying for the Conference Carolinas Tournament for the first time. The following year, King hosted their first Conference Carolinas Tournament game, earning their first win to advance to the semifinals.
The program continued to improve as the Tornado reached the Conference Carolinas championship game three straight years from 2016-18. King posted their most wins in more than a decade when they went 25-7, including a 19-3 marking Conference Carolinas play to finish second in the 2016-17 regular season standings. That season King defeated perennial power Limestone College on the road in the championship game to earn the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. Following that season Thompson was selected Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
"Josh has been a tremendous Christian role model and mentor for our student-athletes, embodying King's institutional vision and carrying out our Lead, Serve, Achieve mission," director of athletics
David Hicks said. "Under his leadership, our women's basketball program has become one of the top programs in Conference Carolinas, and our student-athletes have excelled on the court and in the classroom. Josh has left a lasting legacy at King, and big shoes to fill for the next head women's basketball coach."
During his career, Thompson amassed a record of 157-120, going 118-82 in Conference Carolinas games. He recorded two 20-win seasons, coming in 2014-15 and 2016-17, those were the first two 20-win seasons since 2007-08 and the 25 wins are the third most in school history, trailing only four seasons' when King Hall of Fame coach Al Nida's squads posted two straight years with 27 wins and followed that with consecutive 28-win seasons. Thompson's 157 wins trails only Nida's 182 victories on the King all-time list.
"I have been so blessed to have been able to coach here these past 10 years," Thompson finished. "I want to say thank you to all the players and coaches that I've been so blessed to work with. There are so many great people and great memories that mean so much to my family and me. I will always treasure the time I've had here, and King will always have a special place in my heart."
The Tornado finished in the top four in the Conference Carolinas standings in six of Thompson's 10 seasons as King registered a record above .500 eight times. Under Thomson's tutelage, 13 individuals garnered All-Conference Carolinas, including one defensive player of the year and one freshman of the year. King also earned five Conference Carolinas Messick Awards for sportsmanship.
Off the court, Thompson's teams consistently maintained a team GPA above 3.2, twice garnering recognition from the WBCA on their Top 25 academic rankings. One student-athlete was selected Conference Carolinas Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to 41 student-athletes garnering academic All-Conference Carolinas.
