Former WSCC women basketball coaches doing well elsewhere:
Sharpe, McBrayer, West continue to thrive in their coaching roles:
GDW Analysis:
HANCEVILLE: Wallace State Community College has been a household name in women's basketball for such a long time.
Some that endured the opportunity to command in this role has continued it extremely well at other locations.
Two former Lady Lions' head coaches and an ex assistant have grasped the status of success and not letting go anytime soon.
Allen Sharpe is in an elite world after coming back to Wallace State and directing both teams to the top of the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC).
No doubt his skill level created interest and the moment hit the bullseye 2 years ago when the University of Alabama Huntsville offered him the position to lead the Lady Chargers.
Sharpe has his 2nd year at greatness with 31 wins, 5 losses and a first time visit to the Elite 8 of NCAA Division II play.
The Lady Chargers are in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs Tuesday evening from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after they won the South Regional on campus March 16.
Before Sharpe was sharp at the Hanceville based program, Jessica McBrayer seized the chance and proved it in the lead role from what she learned when playing for Hall of Fame coach Larry Slater and learning the curb as an assistant at Wallace State under Ron Burdette.
McBrayer guided the Lady Lions to 6 years of successful, going 125 & 41 with the squad always to be around the leaderboard in the conference with their arch rival from Tuscaloosa, Shelton State.
Her final season in 2023 was 24 & 7. McBrayer then decided to go into AHSAA coaching where she guided Cullman's Lady Bearcats to a competitive mode in a Sweet 16 berth in 2025.
Hillcrest Tuscaloosa showed interest and made it where the moment would be worthwhile for McBrayer to go to 7A hoops and lead a never quit type ball club to the Elite 8, finishing 2nd in the Northwest Regional to Bob Jones.
When Sharpe became Wallace's coach, he needed a person with the gift of the game and also young in the purpose of taking it from the ground up.
After 2 years as a champion player at Shelton, Cold Springs' native Toni West was hired. West, the daughter of Hall of Fame legend Tammy West and her grandfather also a Hall of Famer in Danny Welborn, West went to work.
Two years at Wallace State enabled West to be considered for 4 year involvement with Jacksonville State University back in the summer of 2025 laying an offer down as West spent her first season in NCAA Division I that saw Jax State raise the win total and reach the quarterfinal round of Conference USA several weeks ago.
Now West has to see what holds for herself in the future.
On March 12, Rick Pietri retired from his position in guiding Jax State to 197 victories, ranking 2nd all time in collegiate victories coaching the sport in the state of Alabama.
Jax State is now in the process of finding a successor to Pietri.
West has achieved plenty in a short period of time and her credentials are very strong for her to continue to be associated with something that is very special in her heart from the family standpoint of the Welborn-West clan.
As for Wallace State, Joseph Simmons has handled the course with superb results in 2 years after replacing Sharpe.
The 2025/26 season produced 28 wins in 30 decisions, sharing the regular season ACCC title with Shelton State at 13 & 1.
Wallace was a sound 15 & 0 in road games, including a win late in the season at Shelton after Shelton had beaten the Lady Lions inside Tom Drake Coliseum in January.
Mekayla Lumpkin was hired by Simmons in filling West's vacancy. Her time on the sideline was well spent with the Lady Lions remaining as an elite in the hotly contested conference that is part of the NJCAA.
Photo of UAH's Ivey Maddox (20) in the NCAA Division II South Regional final March 16 in Huntsville vs. Eckerd College. In the background is UAH head coach Allen Sharpe.
Photo courtesy of Cathy McSwain.
