Lee Women’s Basketball Coach Marty Rowe Celebrates 500th Career Victory

Cleveland, TN-(WDEF-TV) If you’ve ever seen Lee women’s basketball coach Marty Rowe on the sidelines, you would think he was going after his first ever win.
But over the weekend, the energetic coach notched his 500th career victory.
On Wednesday, Rowe took time to reflect on his career, his coaching style, and his milestone achievement.
Marty Rowe was just a volunteer coach for John Reilly’s men’s team at Brescia University, when Reilly recommended a head coaching offer, which Rowe nearly turned down.
Said Rowe:”I was working at a bank. I was a banker. I was happy, and he said listen, the girls coach has left, and I want you to take the women’s coaching job. I said John, I don’t want to coach girls. That’s a phone call that somebody believing in you as a person who can do a job, and it was pretty neat.”
And now Rowe is celebrating 500 wins as a women’s head coach.
Said Rowe:”The outpouring of people saying hey, it’s 500 wins, I mean it means a lot.”
Rowe has coached the Lady Flames for 14 seasons, and they’ve won 20 or more games every year.
He also got the Lee to the N-A-I-A national title game in 20-13.
Said Rowe:”Yeah I think we got beat 75-70 by Westmont out of California. I still remember the game. They had an Olympian from Turkey, who scored 25 and 20 on us. She was the best player in the country. We still claim we may have the best amateur player in the country you know but uh.”
Reporter:”Have you ever smiled during a game?”
Said Rowe:”It’s hard I’m telling you. I get out there. The older I get, the more calm I tend to get. My players now would not say that, but my players that come back from the first year or two go man, you’re so soft. You’re so much easier on them. I think that’s every coach though.”
Rowe and the Lady Flames have qualified once again for the Gulf South Conference tournament this season.
They’re also striving to make the NCAA Division II tournament for the second straight year.