Tide's Smith to meet with Moore to discuss future at UA

TUSCALOOSA | After the University of Alabama women’s basketball team lost Thursday in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, there still remained one unanswered question before the book closes on the 2007-08 season.

Will coach Stephany Smith be retained for next season?

Director of athletics Mal Moore was unavailable for comment on Friday to discuss Smith’s future.

UA athletic department officials, including Moore, are expected to meet with Smith this weekend to evaluate the season and the direction of the program.

Smith completed her third season at Alabama as the Crimson Tide was knocked from the SEC Tournament, losing 71-62 to Georgia. Alabama has not made it out of the first round in her tenure. The last time Alabama advanced beyond the opening round was in previous coach Rick Moody’s final season, when the Tide toppled Florida in the 2005 tournament.

Alabama has won just four conference games in three seasons with three coming in Smith’s first year. The Crimson Tide ranks next-to-last in the country in conference wins over that span. Centenary also has four conference wins over the past three seasons in the Mid-Continent Conference. Virginia Military Institute has no league wins over the past three seasons in the Big South Conference.

Smith is 29-90 in her three seasons at the Capstone. She was hired from Middle Tennessee State where she guided the Blue Raiders to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including upsets over North Carolina and North Carolina State. She compiled a 153-88 record in her eight seasons at MTSU.