State sports brief

Cummings returns to UAFS

Former University of Arkansas at Fort Smith player Tari Cummings was named as the school’s new women’s coach Wednesday.

Cummings, who was an assistant at Tulsa last season and at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville for six seasons before that, becomes the fifth coach in the history of the Lady Lions. She’s a member of the Lions Athletics Hall of Fame and served as an assistant for four seasons under longtime coach Louis Whorton, where she helped lead UAFS to three NJCAA Tournaments, including two Final Four appearances and a consolation championship. Cummings has also served as an assistant at Houston and Cincinnati.

During her two seasons (1997-1999) playing for the Lady Lions, Cummings earned All-America honors in 1999 and helped the team record a seventh-place NJCAA Tournament finish in 1998. She then transferred to Oklahoma State, where she earned All-Big 12 honors in 2002 after averaging 13.1 pionts and a team-best 6.9 rebounds per game.

“This place shaped me as a player, as a person and as a coach. The love and pride I have for this program and university runs so deep,” Cummings said in a press release from the school. “It definitely means a lot to be coming home where we have such a loyal fan base. I’m excited about being here. There is such an enthusiasm and support for women’s basketball in this community and university. I’m ready to get started.”

Cummings inherits a team that finished 20-11 last season, including a 10-4 record in Heartland Conference play. The Lady Lions finished runner-up in the conference tournament and made the program’s second NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in school history.

Cummings