Northwestern State University of Louisiana held a public press conference to announce Alan Frey, the new head women’s basketball coach for the 2026-2027 season, on Monday, April 6 in the Lucile Hendricks Ballroom.
Director of athletics Kevin Bostian welcomed Frey to the NSU community, adding that the university moved to fill the vacancy after former head women’s basketball coach Anna Nimz accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Alabama.
With the transfer portal opening on April 6, Bostian said that NSU wanted to act quickly in hiring a new coach.
“We wanted somebody with energy, passion and someone that was well connected with the state of Louisiana,” Bostian said. “I talked with numerous coaches, agents and administrators across the country and it came back to one person—Alan Frey.”
Bostian said that several well-known coaches, including Kim Mulkey of Louisiana State University, Vic Schaefer of the University of Texas at Austin and former Tulane University of Louisiana head coach Lisa Stockton supported Frey during the search.
Bostian then introduced NSU’s 11th head women’s basketball coach. Frey called the moment “surreal” and said that becoming a head coach is something he has worked toward his entire career.
“This is a moment I have been waiting for a long time,” Frey said. “It is very special that I get this opportunity, the kind you work your whole life for and do not know if it is going to happen.”
Although this is his first head coaching position, Frey has over 20 years of experience as an assistant coach. Frey served on staff at Loyola University New Orleans, Monmouth University in New Jersey and Tulane.
Frey said that player development will be at the center of his program, both on-and-off the court. “Individual skills are important to me, making sure that the players are getting better every day is important,” Frey said.
Frey embraces analytics, so there will be math involved in the way his staff both recruits and coaches. Frey outlined three non-negotiables for his program: team first, no excuses or drama and overcommunication.
Frey said that most of his recruiting targets right now are Louisiana players, whether they are in high school or transfers.
“In terms of recruiting, I would love to get around this state and recruit mostly high school players,” Frey said. “Texas will be important, but I really want to hone in on Louisiana.”
Assembling his coaching staff and meeting with current players are immediate priorities for Frey as he begins his transition.
“We are working hard to come up with staff,” Frey said. “What I am trying to do is really get a balanced staff.”
Frey added that he has been talking with LSU head women’s basketball coach Mulkey about playing a home game against LSU in one of the seasons to come.
During his closing statement, Frey said that he hopes to make the community proud, and that they will watch the team win championships.
As he takes over the program, Frey hopes to build a team that will take home championships back to NSU.
“I am definitely not afraid to talk about championships,” Frey said. “Our next goal is to win a championship, and that’s what we are here to do.”
