By JASON STACY
Missourian staff

On the same day MU women's basketball coach Cindy Stein received a five-year contract extension, she also learned that her entire coaching staff was leaving.

The team's first Sweet 16 appearance earlier this month seemed to pay dividends for Stein.

MU and Stein are negotiating a five-year extension with an incentive package. Although the terms of the agreement are still being discussed, Stein said the announcement should come within the next week. In three seasons at MU, Stein has a 53-37 record.

"The signing should be forthcoming," Stein said. The contract is "in my bag and I'm carrying it around, but I've been working on recruiting. Mike and I have both been busy. We just have to sit down and talk about it." Stein was referring to MU Director of Athletics Mike Alden.

Stein is leaving on a recruiting trip on Friday, but she should sign the extension soon. She makes about $145,000 a year.

"It's a done deal," Stein said. "Missouri is the place I want to be. But my main focus is the team and recruiting. My personal business is secondary. I am happy here."

Stein needs to recruit not only players but also three assistants. All three are leaving.

Associate head coach Lee Ann Riley was the 2000 National Junior College Coach of the Year after directing Tyler (Texas) Junior College to a 34-2 record and the NJCAA national title. She is leaving the Tigers after one year to become head coach at Stephen F. Austin.

"It was a very difficult decision for me," Riley said in a phone interview from her new Stephen F. Austin office. "I enjoyed being at the University of Missouri and working with coach Stein. I didn't expect this to happen in a year."

She replaces former head coach Royce Chadwick, who resigned to accept the head coaching position at Marshall University. Chadwick led the Ladyjacks to a 153-44 record and seven NCAA Tournament appearances during his seven seasons in Nacogdoches, Texas.

"We wanted to find a person that would maintain the level of excellence that Ladyjack basketball has enjoyed in the past, as well as a person that could bring a number of good things to the table for the program's future. In Lee Ann Riley, we have found that person," Ladyjack athletics director Steve McCarty said.

Riley takes over a Stephen F. Austin team that has made 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Assistant coaches Dave Wilbers and Stephanie Thurman are leaving MU in search of other basketball opportunities. Wilbers is seeking a college head coaching position and Thurman is considering entering the high school coaching ranks. Both were at MU for three seasons.

Riley did not believe it was unusual for all three assistant coaches to be leaving the program at this time.

"When a program has success, that's going to happen," she said. "Coaches want the opportunity to become head coaches."

Wilbers and Thurman were unavailable for comment.

So, in one day, Stein is left with a bright future of her own but also with uncertainty.

"The more success you have as a program, the more sought after your coaches are," Stein said. "It's the sign of a good program. We'll also now be able to get good coaches, if not better. We're not devastated by this. I don't want to lose all three, but I fully support them."