Agugua-Hamilton Named Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Missouri State
4/17/2019 10:20:00 AM | Women's Basketball
She spend six seasons at Michigan State.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball associate head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton has been named the head coach at Missouri State; it was announced Wednesday.
"I couldn't be happier for Amaka. She is an incredible coach, mentor and role model for young women. She is a tireless worker on the recruiting trails, extremely ethical and is of the highest character. Missouri State has hired an absolute star in our profession," MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said.
Agugua-Hamilton, the first African-American female head coach for any sport at Missouri State, is an 18-year veteran of Division I women's basketball, including four seasons as a player at Hofstra and four coaching stops. She has been at Michigan State for the past six seasons, the last four as associate head coach.
"I want to thank Suzy Merchant and the administrative staff at Michigan State for investing in me and helping me become the coach I am today! I also want to thank each and every player I coached at MSU for allowing me to be a part of their lives and their success," Agugua-Hamilton said. "A special thanks goes out to Spartan Nation for welcoming me and embracing me from day one. I enjoyed my time at Michigan State, but am extremely excited and eager to start my new journey as the head coach of the Missouri State Lady Bears! I can't wait to see what the future holds."
During her six years at Michigan State, Agugua-Hamilton helped the Spartans to four seasons with at least 21 wins, four NCAA Tournaments, one WNIT bid and the 2014 Big Ten regular-season title. She was integral in signing four consecutive top-35 recruiting classes, most recently the seventh-ranked group in the nation. Agugua-Hamilton also recruited and coached 26 all-conference players and a pair of top-10 WNBA draft choices. The Spartans held an overall record of 125-72 in the Big Ten during her six years.
Agugua-Hamilton married Billy Hamilton in 2017. The couple has a son, Eze, born in April 2018. She replaces Kellie Harper, who was named head coach at Tennessee, following the 2018-19 season.
"I couldn't be happier for Amaka. She is an incredible coach, mentor and role model for young women. She is a tireless worker on the recruiting trails, extremely ethical and is of the highest character. Missouri State has hired an absolute star in our profession," MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said.
Agugua-Hamilton, the first African-American female head coach for any sport at Missouri State, is an 18-year veteran of Division I women's basketball, including four seasons as a player at Hofstra and four coaching stops. She has been at Michigan State for the past six seasons, the last four as associate head coach.
"I want to thank Suzy Merchant and the administrative staff at Michigan State for investing in me and helping me become the coach I am today! I also want to thank each and every player I coached at MSU for allowing me to be a part of their lives and their success," Agugua-Hamilton said. "A special thanks goes out to Spartan Nation for welcoming me and embracing me from day one. I enjoyed my time at Michigan State, but am extremely excited and eager to start my new journey as the head coach of the Missouri State Lady Bears! I can't wait to see what the future holds."
During her six years at Michigan State, Agugua-Hamilton helped the Spartans to four seasons with at least 21 wins, four NCAA Tournaments, one WNIT bid and the 2014 Big Ten regular-season title. She was integral in signing four consecutive top-35 recruiting classes, most recently the seventh-ranked group in the nation. Agugua-Hamilton also recruited and coached 26 all-conference players and a pair of top-10 WNBA draft choices. The Spartans held an overall record of 125-72 in the Big Ten during her six years.
Agugua-Hamilton married Billy Hamilton in 2017. The couple has a son, Eze, born in April 2018. She replaces Kellie Harper, who was named head coach at Tennessee, following the 2018-19 season.
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