Bedell Named Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State women’s basketball head coach Sharon Fanning has named Franqua Bedell as assistant coach. The hiring is pending the approval of the Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning.
"Coach Q brings a great deal of experience to the Lady Bulldog basketball program," said Fanning. "He has served in several leadership roles in college administration and was a tremendous leader as a student-athlete. He has worked with a great high school program, has been an assistant with a successful Division I program and was recently named Conference and Region Coach of the Year as a head coach and athletic director in the NJCAA. I really appreciate his enthusiasm and sincere concern for others. I look forward to him joining our Lady Bulldog family."
Bedell comes to Mississippi State from Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, Ill. After following current MSU assistant Greg Franklin as head coach at the school, Bedell’s 2007-08 squad finished the season ranked sixth in the final NJCAA poll. He was named the Greater River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Region XXIV Coach of the Year and IBCA Coach of the Year. The team finished the year 29-2 and went 15-1 in conference play. Bedell also coached two all-Americans in Armelie Lumanu and Chanel Mokango, both Lady Bulldog signees. Lumanu was named GRAC and Regional Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player. He also oversaw academic advising, conditioning, summer camps, community service, game scheduling and fundraising efforts for the team.
In addition to coaching, Bedell served as the school’s athletic director, providing administrative responsibility for the overall direction of the athletic program.
Prior to his current position, Bedell was an assistant coach under Franklin. The team finished the 2006-07 season ranked atop of the NJCAA polls and finished fourth in the NJCAA National Tournament, the highest finish in school history. The squad finished the year 33-3 and went undefeated in conference play, 16-0.
Bedell is the owner and founder of the Coach Q School of Basketball, based in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The school offers instruction in point guard play, post player skills, ball handling skills, reading and coming of screens and player and leadership development.
Bedell has experience at the Division I level, having served as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State University for two years.
While at SEMO, he coached the 2004-05 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in Tatiana Conceicao, led the team to a 14-2 conference record and saw the Redhawks advance to the OVC Conference Championship game. In 2003-04, Bedell assisted in leading the team to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament.
Before his tenure at SEMO, Bedell was the freshman girls’ basketball coach at Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau,Mo. Prior to his experience at SEMO, Bedell coached at Northside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. and Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.
Bedell holds his Bachelor of General Studies degree from the University of the Ozarks and earned his Masters degree in Sports and Recreation Management from Hardin-Simmons University.