Dee Stokes, the women's basketball coach at Winston-Salem State, was fired yesterday with seven games left in the season.
Stokes had submitted her resignation in November but said she would finish this season to fulfill her contract. Athletics Director Bill Hayes decided not to wait that long, several sources said, after he walked into the Gaines Center on Monday night to see the WSSU women trailing Hampton 60-10.
The Rams (2-21) wound up losing 67-26, their 19th straight loss.
"I am disappointed in the results of our season, obviously," Stokes said. "A couple of weeks ago I realized that I wasn't going to accomplish the goals that I set for myself here at Winston-Salem State and that's been troubling to me."
Stokes had a 19-90 record in four seasons at WSSU. She was being paid $85,000 a year, with her original four-year contract ending March 31.
In November, Stokes said that it was her intent to leave coaching but said she wanted to continue to teach, possibly at a Christian school.
Stokes, a former player at Wake Forest and UNC Charlotte, also coached at East Carolina from 1998 until 2002. She has a 69-142 record in seven seasons as a head coach.
"Today Bill Hayes and the university made a decision," Stokes said. "It's troubling, but I wish nothing but the best for the university and the team."
When asked what went wrong this season, Stokes had trouble pinpointing a reason. Her team was 2-2 at one point.
"I've been asking myself the last 19 games what's wrong," she said, "and I really don't know. The kids have gone through so much….
"I tried being nice, I tried being mean and nothing worked. I just feel bad for the kids."
Rene Rector, a junior guard and the team's No. 2 scorer, said that there's been a lack of communication between players and coaches all season, adding: "Definitely it's been a hard year."
Stokes said she didn't know who would coach for the rest of the season. WSSU's next game will be Saturday at Morgan State.
Hayes said in a statement released by the university: "We are truly grateful for Coach Stokes' service to the university and to our student-athletes. She has helped ensure the academic success of our student-athletes and played an important role in activities such as our recent inaugural academic cookout."
Hayes said yesterday he was deciding who will be coach for the rest of the season, with an announcement expected today.
Under Stokes, the women's basketball team had cumulative grade-point averages of at least 2.8 in all but one semester, and nine players were named to the MEAC all-academic teams during her first three seasons.
jdell@wsjournal.com
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