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Mr. James Hatchell

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HATCHELL JOINS RAGIN’ CAJUNS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STAFF

August 03, 2006 – Matt Hebert, Sports Information –

LAFAYETTE ï¿½ Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball program announced a new addition to its staff on Thursday as co-head coaches J. Kelley and Meredith Hall announced the hiring of James Hatchell as their assistant coach.

Hatchell, the former women’s basketball head coach at Sam Houston State, replaces Bill Damuth who resigned last month to take a coaching position at Trinity Valley Community College.

Hatchell’s hiring is pending approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

Hatchell joins the Ragin’ Cajuns after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at Sam Houston State.

He joined SHSU in the summer of 2003 with the task of reviving a program that hadn’t been to the Southland Conference Tournament since 2000. In his first season, he led the Bearkats to the SLC Tournament where the team came close to upsetting top seed Northwestern State in the first round.

Prior to his stint at SHSU, he served as assistant coach at Rice University for 10 seasons.

ï¿½I’ve known James (Hatchell) for a long time and we’ve talked about coaching together in the past,” J. Kelley Hall said. ï¿½When he learned of the opening on our staff he felt the move would be a great opportunity for him and it works to our benefit as we find a new assistant coach who has ties to the Texas recruiting trails.”

Hatchell is familiar with UL program as the Cajuns and SHSU competed in a home-and-home series with a game in Lafayette during the 2004-05 season and a game in Huntsville, Texas, last season.

Before taking charge of the Sam Houston staff in 2003, Hatchell played a key role in the Rice women’s basketball program that rolled up a 10-year mark of 170-120.

His tenure at Rice included four post-season tournament appearances ï¿½ the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 1998, 1999, and 2002 and Rice’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. The Owls produced four 20-win seasons and had a winning record in each of his final seven seasons with the Houston-based school.

Before coaching at Rice, Hatchell was an assistant at Western Kentucky. Prior to his move to the college scene, Hatchell coached girls’ basketball for 10 years in the high school and AAU ranks in South Carolina.

Hatchell graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1982.