Kris Wood named Lady Dragons head coach

Published or Revised May 09, 2007

Kris Wood, head coach of the women's basketball program at Hill College in Hillsboro, will lead Paris Junior College's women's basketball program into the 2007-2008 season as head coach of PJC's Lady Dragons. Wood replaces Scott Hyland, who is leaving PJC after five seasons to become head coach at Texas A&M University - Kingsville. Wood's appointment was announced Wednesday by PJC Athletic Director Dr. Jim Moffitt. "I'm really excited about the opportunity to come back to Paris and be involved in the community where I grew up," said Wood, a Paris native who attended PJC. Wood led Hill College's Lady Rebels to a 17-3 conference record last season, beating four nationally ranked teams along the way. The Lady Rebels eventually lost in the regional playoffs to Odessa College's Lady Wranglers, who went on to claim the NJCAA national title. PJC's women's basketball program, he said is filled with potential. "You have everything that you need to be successful here," he said. "It's only going up. You've got a great campus, a great community, and you've got support from the administration. "And any time that you can come back home and be a part of an institution you attended, it's just great," Wood said, adding that he's grateful to PJC President Dr. Pamela Anglin and the school's administration for giving him that opportunity. "I'm excited about having somebody like Chris take over the reins of women's basketball," said Moffitt. "I think he can take us to another level and be competitive for the conference championship and even the national championship. "He knows I'm not putting pressure on him to do that, but I think we've got everything in place to do it. He knows what we do here and how we do it." Wood earned an associate of science degree from PJC, as well as an associate of arts degree from Kilgore College. He completed his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Texas A&M University - Commerce, and received a master of science in education and sports management from Baylor University. Wood was a student assistant for Kilgore College's men's basketball program for the 1999-2000 season, where he worked for former PJC coach Scott Schumacher. He was later student assistant to the athletic director at Texas A&M University - Commerce. He joined Hill College in 2003 as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's basketball programs, and became head women's basketball coach and men's golf coach in 2004.