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Karen Barefoot leaves ODU for UNC-Wilmington

Posted at 2:42 PM, May 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-03 23:34:28-04

ODU women’s basketball coach Karen Barefoot

NORFOLK, Va. - Karen Barefoot's footprints are headed south.

The Old Dominion women's basketball coach resigned Wednesday to accept the same position at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Barefoot's current five-year contract was set to expire June 3, 2018.

The North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks mascot performs. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

In six seasons as Lady Monarchs head coach, Barefoot guided ODU to a 103-and-93 record, but no NCAA tournament appearances. The Newport News native who played college basketball at Christopher Newport is 313-and-236 in 19 seasons as a head coach.

“I am really excited about becoming the next head women’s basketball coach at UNCW and I look forward to being a part of the Seahawk family,” said Barefoot. “There is so much potential for this program to reach success and I am excited to be a part of it.

Jennie Simms and Destinee Young, the only two Lady Monarchs to average more than ten points per game during 2016-17's 17-and-14 campaign, were both seniors and won't be back next year. Simms, the Conference USA Player of the Year, was selected by the Washington Mystics in last month's WNBA Draft. ODU's third-leading scorer Annika Holopainen is also out of eligibility.

Prior to taking over the ODU program in 2011, Barefoot guided Elon, Lenoir Rhyne and The Apprentice School. She also worked as an assistant coach at Old Dominion under head coach from 2005-2008.

UNC-Wilmington, a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference - ODU's former league, has finished with a losing record six of the past eight seasons. The only two winning campaigns (2010-11, 2011-12) were under the guidance of head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke - a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Flags of the schools line the wall during the Colonial Athletic Conference Championship. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Old Dominion left the CAA for Conference USA after the 2012-2013 season - Barefoot's year at the helm.

At UNCW, Barefoot will replace Adell Harris who resigned in April after going 42-112 in five years as head coach of the Seahawks. Harris's base salary at Wilmington was reported to be $135,000 per year. The contract extension Barefoot signed with ODU in 2013 paid her a base salary of $175,000 annually.