Whitaker reflects on time at MWSU; will begin new journey at University of North Alabama
By Calvin Silvers
On Monday, Missouri Western State University announced the departure of women’s head basketball coach Candi Whitaker, as she’ll become the main woman in charge of the University of North Alabama women’s basketball program, an NCAA Division I institution in Florence, Alabama.
The end of the Whitaker era in St. Joseph will begin a new chapter for one of Missouri Western’s most storied athletic programs. Coming off three straight 24+ win seasons thanks to Whitaker, the program has been reestablished as a sustained MIAA power and national contender
“Always happy for good people to get opportunities that they want, and in this business, you know, we’re just not in the era of people staying in places forever,” athletic director Andy Carter said. “We’re extremely happy for her, we’re extremely happy of what she’s helped us do.”
When Whitaker was hired in April of 2019, she was inheriting a team that was 14-16 the year prior, and did not have a season above .500 since 2016. The MIAA Coach of the Year was let go at Texas Tech before joining the Griffons, not sure she wanted to continue coaching.
However, Western brought the love back, and it began with a good staff.
“You got to have a great staff, and Emily Wacker has been the most tremendous assistant for five years,” Whitaker said. “I mean, for her to be with me from day one, literally, I tried to get her to commit before I took the job.”
It’s not just a good staff that will help lead you to a 100-47 record, two NCAA Tournament appearances,a trip to the Division II Elite 8 and an outright MIAA Championship.
In fact, in today’s world of NIL and the transfer portal, the ability to keep a core group goes a long way for sustainability.
“We built it with core high school players, four year players that stayed with us for the long haul,” Whitaker said. “That’s critical, I think, at this level, and sprinkled in some transfers, obviously, for some help.”
Now after five seasons, the move to new scenery wasn’t an easy choice, but came down to whether the move would be good for the family, and would it elevate her children’s opportunities.
“It’s not about D1, D2, it’s about the two things I just mentioned, fit for our family, you know, once you start having children, it’s not just about you,” Whitaker said. “You know, early in my career, it was about me, and now it’s not about me, it’s about my family.”
As this chapter closes for Western and Whitaker, she hopes her legacy will be remembered through the teams that gave it their all the past five seasons.
“I hope they’ve really enjoyed watching our team,” Whitaker said. “How they play, how they share the ball, the intensity, the effort, the energy, I’m grateful to each of the players I got to coach.”
