According to the X account Skim Milkey, Arizona is focused on Allison Pohlman of Drake, Mike Meek of Portland, Beth Cunningham of Missouri State and Lisa Fortier of Gonzaga to become the next head coach of the Women's basketball program. Skim Milkey has nearly 7,500 followers and is connected to the website Burner Ball.
Cunningham has a career record of 236 wins and 146 losses in nine seasons at Virginia Commonwealth and the last three at Missouri State. Before getting into coaching, Cunningham was a star player at Notre Dame, leading the Fighting Irish to their first Final Four.
Cunningham was on the staff at VCU for 11 seasons, the last nine as head coach. In 2012, Cunningham returned to Notre Dame as the associate head coach, where she remained through 2020. Cunningham was an assistant under Kara Lawson at Duke from 2020 through 2022.
Meek is 130-62 in six seasons as the head coach at Portland. Portland earned an NCAA Tournament berth during its first season with Meek as head coach in 2020, but the postseason was canceled due to Covid. Meek also led Portland to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023 and the 2025 WCC Regular season Championship.
I can confirm that Drake’s Allison Pohlman, Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier and Missouri State’s Beth Cunningham are among the top targets for Arizona.
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) April 7, 2025
Cunningham was previously pursued this cycle by Wisconsin. #ncaaW https://t.co/vU5i6W5y2w
Meek was previously the head coach at Division III power George Fox, where he succeeded Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. Meek was also a successful high school coach for 10 years in Beaverton, Oregon, where he won five state titles between 2005 and 2010.
Pohlman grew up in Iowa, played at Northern Iowa, where she became an assistant coach from 2001 through 2007 before leaving for Drake, where she has remained ever since. Drake promoted Pohlman to head coach when Jennie Baranczyk left for Oklahoma. Pohlman is 93-42 in four seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Fortier spent two seasons at Gonzaga as the director of operations before beginning her coaching career as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado for the 2006-07 season. In 2007, Fortier returned to Gonzaga where she remained as an assistant coach through 2014.
2025 #WCChoops Coach of the Year: Lisa Fortier@ZagWBB pic.twitter.com/kYSuYyNfTv
— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) March 4, 2025
When Kelly Graves left for Oregon following the 2013-14 season, Fortier was elevated to head coach. In 11 seasons as a head coach, Fortier is 289–74 with eight NCAA Tournament appearances, trips to the Regional Semifinals in 2015 and 2024 and a 28-3 record when the 2020 postseason was cancelled.
Fortier and Tommy Lloyd were both at Gonzaga from 2007 through 2021. Before becoming head coach Fortier focused on the Gonzaga defense as an assistant. Gonzaga finished eighth nationally in 2024-25, making 36.5 percent of their three-point attempts and sixth with a rebounding margin of 9.2.
With the accomplishments Fortier has had throughout her career and the success Lloyd had after coming to Arizona from Gonzaga, she is emerging as the preferred candidate amongst the fans. Coaching at Gonzaga is closest to a major program among the four candidates listed.