Cristy McKinney coached her final game for the Tigers last Thursday in Greensboro, falling 59-54 to her alma mater NC State.

After five years at the helm of the Clemson Tigers, Head Coach Cristy McKinney resigned Wednesday according to a school press release. Her record to date as a head coach was 275-231, but only 58-93 at Clemson after replacing league fixture Jim Davis. Her tenure started on a high note, signing 2006 South Carolina prep player of the year Lele Hardy followed by a top 25 class in 2007. But misfortune struck as the program was beset with injuries, including three ACL's in a single season, and the Tigers became a perennial dweller in the ACC basement. With new South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley bursting onto the national recruting scene by inking national #1 Kelsey Bone out of Texas last year it's not surprising that a change would be considered. Perhaps one indication of the ongoing dissatisfaction is that McKinney's ClemsonTigers.com bio was never updated to reflect the 2008-09 season on ClemsonTigers.com. Given the success of Kellie Harper at NC State, it's likely that Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips will take a long hard look at young coaches from high-profile coaching trees in his search for a new coach. Of course McKinney herself played for legend Kay Yow during the AIAW years, still holding the NC State freshman points-per-game record of 17.5 ppg. By comparison, State's ACC Freshman of the Year Marissa Kastanek has averaged 10.5 ppg this year, though a more impressive 11.2 in conference play.

McKinney's final game was a 59-54 ACC Tournament First Round loss to her alma mater. DWHoops photos of that game are here.