| Steve Thompson led the Red Devils to a 34-18 conference record in his three seasons on the Eureka sidelines. Rureka College athletics file photo |
After leading the Eureka women to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Steve Thompson is stepping down from the head coaching position. He will remain the College's Director of Athletics.
"I can't thank our current and previous women's basketball student-athletes and their families enough for their commitment to what we were able to accomplish together," Thompson said in a College release. "It has been a privilege working with these young ladies to bring a championship to Eureka College."
Thompson assumed the head coaching role on an interim basis in the spring of 2014. In three seasons (2014-17), Thompson guided the Red Devils to a 45-36 overall record and a 34-18 mark in SLIAC play. Eureka continued its run of six straight SLIAC Tournament semifinal appearances on Thompson's watch, including a title game appearance in 2015 and the Red Devils' first-ever league tournament crown in 2017.
Thompson was chosen SLIAC Coach of the Year in 2017 by his league peers after EC became the 15th team in league history to sweep the SLIAC regular-season and tournament titles. The Red Devils received the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid and set single-season program records with 2,072 points, 234 3-pointers, 498 assists and 103 blocked shots during the 2016-17 season.
Five Red Devils earned All-SLIAC honors for Thompson, including 1,000-point scorers Kelsey Shoemake and Emily Camden.
"The Eureka College women's basketball program has never been stronger and our returning student-athletes own championship-level experience," Thompson said. "I'm eager and excited for the program to continue to grow and to support them as the Director of Athletics."
A national search will begin immediately to identify the 12th head coach in program history.