DILLON — Britt Cooper will not return as the Montana Western head women's basketball coach, the school announced Thursday.
"I want to sincerely thank Coach Cooper for her hard work and dedication to the Bulldog women's basketball program over the past three years — first as an assistant and for the last two as head coach," Western director of athletics Michael Feuling said in a news release. "She will always be a Bulldog and a national champion, forever recognized for her contributions as part of the 2019 championship team.
"After a thorough evaluation of the program's current state and future direction, I have made the difficult decision that a change in leadership is necessary at this time. We appreciate Coach Cooper's commitment to our student-athletes and the program, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors."
Cooper, a Harrison native, was named the Bulldogs' head coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. Western went 17-13, including an 8-7 mark in Frontier Conference play, in her first season and 7-21, 2-13 in the Frontier, this past season.
She succeeded Lindsay Woolley, who was the Western coach from 2012 until 2023.
Cooper played for Woolley and the Bulldogs from 2015 through 2019 and was a full-time starter during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. As a senior in 2018-19, she averaged 9.8 points per game as Western went 30-4 and won the NAIA national championship.
Cooper got her coaching start as a graduate assistant at Angelo State for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. She joined Woolley's staff at Western as an assistant coach for the 2022-23 season.
Western will immediately begin a national search for its next head women's basketball coach.
