NATCHITOCHES—After leading Northwestern State to a WNIT appearance and the most Southland Conference wins in 22 seasons this past year, head coach Anna Nimz has resigned her position to take over as the head coach at North Alabama.

NSU Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian is thankful for her commitment to the program and steering it in the right direction and continue the path Nimz set it on.

"Coach Nimz came to Natchitoches in a very uncertain time, sight unseen, and had a plan to build the program in her image," Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "In her six years, she did just that, helping steer our program back to a position where it is on an upward trajectory within the Southland Conference, including the program's most conference wins in 22 seasons. She leaves the program poised to continue on that track. We want to wish Anna, Leasa and Frankie the best as they enter their next chapter at North Alabama.

"We have begun the reach for the next coach - someone who can sustain the momentum that has been crafted across the past six seasons."

In her six seasons at NSU, she compiled a record of 69-100, but in the past two seasons, she led the Demons to a 34-30 mark, including a 26-16 mark in league play. Those two seasons also included the program's first postseason berth and winning record since 2015-16.

In 2024-25, she led the Demons to their first WNIT berth since 1999 and a 16-16 record. This past season, she did even better, leading NSU to an 18-14 mark and 14-8 record in league play, its highest win total in SLC play in 22 years.

This past season, NSU gave conference champion McNeese its only loss in league play, a 64-59 win in Lake Charles.

In each of those two seasons, the Demons have had the leading scorer during the same with Mya Blake (18.0) in 2024-25 and Vernell Atamah (19.2) in 2025-26.

Atamah had one of the best seasons in program history, earning the program its first conference player of the year honor since 2003-04. She was the fifth player in program history to score 600 pts in a season and first since Beatrice Attura in 16-17.

Atamah was also the fourth player in program history to ever have 600 pts and 200 rebounds in the same season and the first since Pam Hudson in 1989-90.

She also cracked 1,000 points in two seasons, the second youngest and fourth fastest player in program history to accomplish it.

In the past two seasons, the Demons have developed into a 3-point shooting team, as the team program record for 3-pointers in back-to-back years. Atamah broke the school record for triples in a season with 93.

Nimz came to NSU during the COVID-19 pandemic and had to build the Demons from the ground up. Taking a leap of faith, she inherited a team that went 7-22 the year before and had to recruit a brand new team in the middle of a pandemic. In her first year, the Demons went 1-19, as Nimz earned her first victory against Central Arkansas in the season finale.

Her team improved to 12 wins in year two behind SLC Newcomer of the Year Candice Parramore, who averaged 13.8 points per game. The team made their first conference tournament appearance in five seasons.

Two players during that recruiting class following the 1-win season—Jasmin Dixon and Sharna Ayres—were pillars of the turnaround, starting on the WNIT team as seniors, leading them to the SLC Tournament quarterfinals.

Overall, Nimz had four players earn all-conference nods and three collect All-Louisiana spots.

A national search for Nimz's replacement has begun.