Energy. Enthusiasm. Teacher of the game. Cares about his players.
Those are the themes that come from the people who best know Oties (pronounced O-teese) Epps, head women's basketball coach at the University of Evansville.
Epps, 36, was introduced May 18, 2011 as the 10th head coach in the 43-year history of women’s basketball at the University of Evansville.
In 2014-15, Evansville won their first MVC Tournament game since 2009 with a victory over Illinois State in the opening round. UE also won their next game in the MVC Quarterfinals 84-79 in overtime against Drake, setting a program and MVC Tournament record with 17 made three-pointers. Even though the Aces lost in the MVC Semifinals, it was the team's deepest tournament run since 2009 when UE was crowned champions. The team won their first six home games and 10 consecutive home games dating back to the previous season. The Aces posted a Ford Center reocrd with 94 points in a win over Troy (12/18), won for the second time ever in Springfield, Mo. with a victory over Missouri State (1/2), and recorded their largest margin of victory (40) since joining the MVC with a win over Bradley (1/12). Epps guided guard Sara Dickey to back to back 500 point seasons (2nd in program history) and the first to reach 600 points in a single season. Dickey was named First Team All-Conference as Mallory Ladd was Honorable Mention. Ladd and Khristian Hart were both selected as MVC Scholar Athletes as Ladd was also named to the All-Tournament Team in the MVC.
In 2013-14, Evansville reached the 15-win mark for the first time in six seasons in Epps' third-year at the helm and earned a bid to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI), marking the Aces' first postseason berth since a WNIT appearance in 2008. UE finished the season with an overall record of 15-16 and placed fourth in the final MVC regular season standings with a 10-8 record in league play, including a streak of eight-straight conference wins to close the regular season. Under Epps, three Aces earned spots on All-MVC squads, including Sara Dickey, who was named the MVC Co-Freshman of the Year, after a historic season in which she scored 546 points to rank second on both the MVC's freshman scoring list and Evansville's single-season scoring list. UE also saw junior forward Mallory Ladd become honorable mention All-MVC and guard Dakota Weatherford be named to the MVC All-Freshman team. As a team, the Aces were the Valley's top defensive team in terms of field goal percentage, as they limited opponents to a 38.1 percent field goal percentage and a 26.8 percent clip from behind the three-point line.
In his second season as head coach, Epps led Evansville to its best record in Missouri Valley Conference play since 2007-08, as the Purple Aces posted an overall mark of 9-21 and went 7-11 in league play to place seventh in the MVC regular-season standings during the 2012-13 campaign. In addition, Samantha Heck was named to the All-MVC Second Team and Mallory Ladd received All-MVC honorable mention status, marking the first time that two UE players were named to All-Valley squads in the same season since 2008. Epps' squad also made history during the 2012-13 season, as the Aces drained a school-record 15 three-pointers in a 74-65 win over San Jose State.
Epps completed his first season at the helm in 2011-12 with a focus on building a base and framework for the program’s revitalization. The Aces finished with a 5-25 record and 2-16 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference, including a victory over 2012 NCAA Tournament participant Creighton University. Epps recorded his first career win on Nov. 26th when he led the Purple Aces to a 59-49 victory over Troy University in the University of Maine’s tournament. He also piloted UE to a second-place finish in the Aces Winter Classic.
Prior to becoming a part of the Evansville family, Epps spent three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, joining Lisa Stone’s staff in 2008. The Badgers were 56-31 in his three years at Madison. The 2009 team reached the Big 10 Tournament semifinals for the first time ever, and advanced to the third round of the WNIT. The 2010 team won 20 games, earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2002, and finished third in the Big 10 for their highest finish ever. In addition, Stone was chosen as Big 10 Coach of the Year in 2010. Epps was promoted to Defensive Coordinator for the 2010-11 season, and the Badgers finished second in the Big 10 in scoring defense and fourth in field goal percentage defense. Wisconsin again finished third in the Big 10 standings despite a season-ending injury to third leading scorer Tara Steinbauer, and the Badgers went on to play in the WNIT.
A native of Highland Park, Michigan, Epps played basketball at Mt. Senario College before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 2002, and his master's degree in Education in 2006. He stayed on as an assistant coach for the men's team at Stout until 2004, and then served four years as an assistant women's coach at Cleveland State University. CSU won only four games in each of his first two seasons on Coach Kate Peterson's staff, but quickly improved. In Epps' last season at CSU, in 2007-08, the Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament title for the first time in school history, reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, and produced the school's most successful season in 24 years by winning 19 games.
In his seven years as an assistant women’s coach, a total of nine players coached by Epps at Cleveland State and Wisconsin earned all-conference honors.
Oties has three children (Makayla, Madison, Aaaliyah).
Here is what others say about Oties Epps:
KATHI BENNETT (head coach, Northern Illinois University...former University of Evansville head coach...former staff member at Wisconsin with Coach Epps):
"Oties has bountiful energy, he is always prepared, and he has strong convictions about how the game should be played. He also has a wonderful personality, the kind that makes it easy to form relationships so that his vision will become Evansville's vision. I really think the players will enjoy playing for him. He will push them between the lines, but he will love them off the court."
STEPHANIE CROSLEY (former player under Coach Epps at Cleveland State...now graduate assistant coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
"I just want the players at Evansville to know that the program is in good hands. Coach Epps will fulfill every expectation. He has knowledge, he has a love for the game, and he has great character. I always trusted him as my coach, and I can't say that about every coach I've had. He just makes everything better."
KATE PETERSON ABIAD (head coach, Cleveland State University)
"Oties is dynamic and easy to like! He will be both respected and embraced by all those who get to know
him--especially his team. When he was on my staff at Cleveland State, he was a significant part of building our struggling program into a champion. He made our players better, he was instrumental in preparing game plans that led to WINNING, and he helped me to identify and recruit players with championship mentality and ability. I am confident Oties will improve the Evansville women's basketball program. He will strive for excellence in all that he does."
LISA STONE (head coach, Saint Louis University…former head coach at the University of Wisconsin for eight seasons...hired Coach Epps in 2008)
"Energy, enthusiasm, charisma and a great basketball mind are what I think of when I think of Oties Epps. He is terrific between the lines, a great recruiter, and he has a personality that will allow him to connect with the Evansville community very easily. Plus he's a great husband and father. He will do very well as a head coach."
LEE REED (director of athletics, Georgetown University...former AD at Cleveland State University)
"Coach Epps is one of the rising stars in women's college basketball. He represents all that is good about college athletics. He is a tremendous person, dedicated family man and a great coach, educator and leader of student-athletes. Oties will do great things at Evansville, and he and his family will be wonderful additions to the Evansville community."
TY MARGENTHALER (head coach, Southeast Missouri State U....former assistant coach at Wisconsin)
"Oties is a man of great character. He has passion and energy. He's a great teacher of the game. Everywhere he has been, Oties has been a builder. He understands what it takes to build a program. His drive and passion will take him a long way. He's a great fit for the Evansville community."
EDDIE ANDRIST (head men's coach, Wisconsin-Stout 2000-present)
"Oties Epps has learned his craft, paid close attention to detail, and is a rising star in the world of women’s collegiate basketball. He demonstrates every day his passion for the game, positive approach to teaching life lessons, outstanding core values, and a commitment to academic excellence. The University of Evansville has opened its doors to a strong leader and will be proud to have him and his family join the family of the Purple Aces."
