The longest tenured head basketball coach in both men’s and women’s program history, McGuire led the Highlanders to a runner-up finish in the Big South regular season and conference tournament in his 13th season. Radford competed in the postseason for the first time since 2018-19 and were victorious in their first ever WNIT contest at the Dedmon Center this past Friday. McGuire was also named the Big South Co-Coach of the Year, making him one of three coaches to receive four such awards in conference history.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading Radford women’s basketball,” commented McGuire. “The past 13 years have been some of the most rewarding years of my personal and professional life. Radford has become home for my family and we love this community. Thank you to President Bret Danilowicz and Robert Lineburg for their continued confidence and belief in me to lead this program. I also want to thank our assistant coaches and support staff for their hard work, dedication, and alignment on a daily basis. My sincere appreciation to our alumni, donors, and fans as well who make our program special. Most importantly, I’m so appreciative of our student-athletes for their daily commitments and determination to represent our institution and program in a first-class way. This year’s team was an absolute joy to be around. We are excited to build upon this season and work together to make the 2026-27 season a fantastic one.”
McGuire set several noteworthy milestones this previous season. He became the winningest coach in basketball history at Radford, passing hall of fame coach Pat Barrett with his 194th victory on November 11 vs. Loyola Maryland. The Vinton, Va. native reached 200 wins a month later with an overtime win at Hampton on December 18. His 215 career wins are the sixth-most in Big South Conference history and his 145 conference wins are the fourth-most.
The 2025-26 season was a return to greatness for McGuire and the Highlanders. The team played in a program-record 36 games after a run to the Big South Championship Game and a win in the WNIT First Round. Some signature wins include a 97-84 double overtime victory over Navy on December 4, a 72-57 triumph that snapped High Point’s 16-game conference winning streak dating back to the 2024-25 season on February 7, and a dominating performance to beat Longwood 81-58 in the Big South Tournament semifinals.
The Highlanders were dominant at Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center once again, winning 13 of 16 games on the home hardwood. Since McGuire was named the head coach on April 24, 2013, Radford is 113-50 at home.
Many Highlanders received awards throughout the season under McGuire’s tutelage. Georgia Simonsen became the fifth Radford player to win Big South Freshman of the Year. She also received All-Tournament honors. Joi Williams was named to the All-Big South First Team and All-Tournament team after a breakout junior campaign that saw the point guard surpass the 1,000-career points mark. In the classroom, the Highlanders placed four on the CSC Academic All-District list and boasted a 3.62 GPA in the fall semester.
McGuire and the Highlanders hope to build on the momentum set from the program’s 55th season. Radford boasted the largest crowd of any host site for the WNIT First Round game, hosting 1,134 fans in the first-ever postseason basketball game at the Dedmon Center. The team also announced the signing of three guards in Kerri Fluellen, Jordin Richardson, and Lee Williams for the 2026-27 season back in November.
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