Texas Tech women’s basketball program ran on exploitation and toxicity

Marlene Stollings has run a culture of fear at Texas Tech.

While Chris Beard and the Texas Tech Red Raiders’ men’s basketball program has become one of the Big 12’s best, that same luck hasn’t followed Marlene Stollings and the Lady Raiders’ women’s basketball team. She might not get the chance to turn things around in 2020 after a bombshell report shone a light on rampant abuse.

USA Today obtained exit interviews from Red Raiders players during the last two seasons of Stollings’ tenure in Lubbock. The players have accused their head coach of alienating international players, keeping a strength coach that was accused of sexual misconduct in Ralph Petrella until he resigned in March, and holding tougher practices when claims of said abuse were reported.

Stollings faces numerous accusations of verbal and mental abuse at Texas Tech

Stollings, a former star at Ohio State, got her start as a head coach in 2011 at Winthrop. From there, she parlayed her initial success into jobs at VCU and Minnesota, where she made the NCAA tournament twice in four seasons. She joined Tech in 2018, and has compiled a 31-27 record in two seasons.

During her tenure in Lubbock, a whopping 13 players who played for her eventually transferred. In exit interviews wherein players were asked to rate the program, culture, and coaches, Collins received almost universally negative ratings.

Stollings released a statement in which she claimed that her staff members “believe in the way we are building and turning this program around here” before adding that players are “developing a disciplined approach both on and off the court.”

Whatever her record, if even half of these accusations are true, Stollings needs to be axed as soon as possible. The fact that her team is struggling to tread water in the Big 12 should make getting rid of her even easier if these accusations are indeed factual.