NATCHITOCHES — The Northwestern State women's basketball program long has enjoyed success with first-time Division I head coaches.

That pattern continued Wednesday, as NSU announced the hiring of Loyola (New Orleans) assistant coach Alan Frey as its 11^th full-time women's basketball head coach. Frey will be introduced to the university and Natchitoches communities in a 1:30 p.m. news conference Monday in the Lucille Mertz Hendrick Room in the Friedman Student Union.

"We are thrilled to announce Alan Frey as the 11th full-time head coach in Northwestern State women's basketball history," Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "Alan's deeply rooted Louisiana ties and his decades of experience within Louisiana basketball made him a terrific fit for our program. His connections with high school basketball coaches in the state give him an extensive recruiting network that meshes well with his outstanding basketball mind. Alan has experienced great success in Louisiana, and we expect that to continue as he takes over our program. Northwestern State's successful track record of first-time head coaches is in good hands with Alan Frey."

The New Orleans native has always wanted to stay in the state and said he is excited at the opportunity to earn a Division I head coaching job in the state.

"Kevin (Bostian) telling me he'd like me to be the head coach was probably the best sentence I have ever heard other than my wife agreeing to marry me," Frey said. "It was so special and I am still so excited. It is a dream come true. I have had a goal of being a Division I women's basketball coach in Louisiana, and I reached that goal, and it feels great."

Frey takes over following a six-year stint by Anna Nimz, who left to take the head job at North Alabama.

"The thing that made this job stand out to me is the alignment, from the president's office all the way down to the athletic director's office all the way down to the administration," Frey said. "I feel they sold me that everybody is pulling in the same direction here and everybody wants the same things."

While this is his first head coaching job, Frey brings more than 20 years of experience as an assistant coach and associate head coach, much of which was at the Division I level.

This past season, he helped lead the Wolf Pack to a 25-5 mark, a seven-game improvement over the previous season. Loyola earned an appearance in the NAIA Tournament, reaching the second round.

Frey also spent a season with Monmouth, where he helped the team win 16 games, 10 of them at home, the most home wins for the program since 2011-12.

Frey helped coach two All-CAA selections in Damaris Rodriguez (first team) and Taisha Exanor (second team) with Rodriguez also becoming the first Hawk in 23 years to earn All-Metropolitan honors.

Prior to his stint at Monmouth, he spent 18 seasons on the sidelines with Tulane.

With the Green Wave, Frey helped the team post winning records in all but two seasons, tallying a combined 371-229 overall record. That included a pair of Conference USA regular season titles and a dozen postseason appearances, highlighted by a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Using his connections in the state of Louisiana, Frey was instrumental in recruiting Kolby Morgan and former NSU coach Olivia Grayson, to Tulane.

"He's got deep roots in Louisiana basketball," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "At Tulane, we concentrated a lot on recruiting in Louisiana. He has those recruiting contacts. He's a Louisiana guy. He loves the state. He is a very talented coach. I told Kevin Bostian that I have no doubt he can do the job. He's great with Xs and Os.

"He was my right-hand for many years, and he stayed with me because we had a good thing going. He's wanted an opportunity like this his whole career. It's a good fit at a great school."

The 1997 AAU National Coach of the Year, Frey guided the team to the gold medal at the 1996 Junior Olympics and a second-place finish in 2005. Frey's teams amassed 15 Louisiana AAU titles in as many years with a 79-1 record at the state tournament.

In addition to being a successful coach, he brings a significant amount in the way of his community presence and his infectious personality will win over his team.

"The community will love him," Stockton said. "People will know him. He has a great personality to promote the program. The other thing is for the student-athletes, he's a player's coach. They're going to love learning from him. They'll grow under his tutelage. He is a tireless worker who will do whatever it takes to make the program better.

 "Sometimes you can't get all the players you want. He will be flexible in trying to create the best style for the players you have. He knows a lot of different ways to play. He'll figure out the best way to play. You have to create to win in your league first. He'll do that. He'll definitely figure out what will work and be successful. As the program grows, system may change. He's not stuck in a certain way. Very creative."

Frey said he knows the program is on an upward trajectory and is ready to push the team over the top and bring home championships.

Said Frey: "The Southland is a great league with a lot of great teams and great coaches, but I think we are in a position here where we can make some things happen and win some championships. I have no doubt that is what my plan is."

Frey joins Pat Nolen Pierson, James Smith, Jennifer Graf, Brooke and Scott Stoehr, Jordan Dupuy, Missy Bilderback and Nimz as coaches whose first Division I head coaching job came at NSU.

"I think all of us from this state feel a sort of pride in it," Frey said. "We are kind of the little brother in a lot of things, but people from Louisiana have a certain spirit. I've seen it. I saw it after Hurricane Katrina, and I have seen it after all the other storms we've gone through. It's a great place to live and I wouldn't want to live any place else."
 
What They're Saying About Alan Frey:

"Congratulations to Alan Frey and Northwestern State University. What a great decision by the university to hire a veteran leader and coach like Coach Frey. He's been in this game for so many years, given of his life for this game and for young people. He is so well respected in this industry, has won and developed players at the highest level. There's no question in my mind with his leadership, Northwestern State will be back in contention for championships year in and year out as in the days of James Smith, many years ago. Congratulations to Northwestern State, they've hit a home run."
-- Vic Schaefer, Head Coach at Texas
 
"Congratulations to Alan Frey and Northwestern State University. As someone who spent many years in North Louisiana, I know how much this program means to that community. Northwestern State hit a home run by hiring a veteran leader who has given his life to this game and his players. Alan is incredibly well respected in our industry and has won at the highest level. With his leadership, there's no question the Lady Demons will be back in championship contention."
-- Kim Mulkey, Head Coach at LSU
 
"He'll do everything he can to allow his student-athletes to have a great experience and also win basketball games. I think it goes without saying that you need someone who embraces that and wants to be a part of the work and not afraid of the work. With his experience, personality and connections around the state, he is a veteran coach who has the ability to do all those things."
-- Brooke Stoehr, Head Coach at Louisiana Tech