Ardena Frances "Ardie" McInelly (born September 2, 1959) is an American basketball coach. McInelly was the head women's basketball coach at Idaho State from 1996 to 2001 and Air Force from 2001 to 2010.

Ardie McInelly
McInelly in 2009.
Biographical details
Born (1959-09-02) September 2, 1959 (age 65)
Mackay, Idaho
Playing career
1977–1981Boise State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1988–1991Montana State (asst.)
1991–1992Pacific (asst.)
1992–1996Weber State (asst.)
1996–2001Idaho State
2001–2010Air Force
2013–2016Harrison HS
Head coaching record
Overall134–263 (.338) (college)
Tournaments0–1 (NCAA)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
  • 2× Big Sky Coach of the Year (1999, 2000)

Early life and education

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McInelly was born and raised in Mackay, Idaho and graduated from Mackay High School in 1977.[1] McInelly only began playing organized basketball as a junior in high school when her high school first formed a girls' varsity team.[2] At Mackay High, McInelly helped the Miners girls' basketball team finish in third place in the Idaho A-4 tournament in 1977.[3]

At Boise State University, McInelly played for the Boise State Broncos from 1977 to 1981.[4] McInelly graduated from Boise State in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and later completed a master's degree in education from Weber State University in 1995.[5]

Coaching career

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McInelly started as a teacher and girls' basketball coach at Firth High School in Firth, Idaho and Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho.[6] McInelly moved up to the college level, first as an assistant coach at Montana State from 1988 to 1991, Pacific from 1991 to 1992, and Weber State from 1992 to 1996.[5]

From 1996 to 2001, McInelly was head coach at Idaho State University, where she posted a 77–62 record. Her 2000 team went 25–5, the best season in school history. The 2000 team went 18–0 in conference play, and won the league title outright. That helped them make it to the NCAA tournament, where they were eventually eliminated by Vanderbilt. Idaho State finished third or higher in the Big Sky Conference in all five of her seasons there. She earned back-to-back coach of the year honors in the Big Sky Conference during her final two seasons.[5]

McInelly then coached at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 2001 to 2010. McInelly went 57–201 in nine seasons, with her best season being in 2005–06 with a 13–15 record (4–12 in Mountain West Conference games), also Air Force's most wins since moving up from Division II to Division I in the 1996–97 season.[5][7] However, two starting players left the program after the season.[8] She was fired by the Academy on March 29, 2010, with two years remaining on her contract.[7]

In 2013, McInelly became head coach of the Harrison High School girls basketball team in Colorado Springs.[9] McInelly retired after the 2015–16 school year and 30–40 overall record.[10][11]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Idaho State Bengals[12] (Big Sky Conference) (1996–2001)
1996–97 Idaho State 15–12 11–5 T–2nd
1997–98 Idaho State 15–12 9–7 T–3rd
1998–99 Idaho State 8–18 6–10 7th
1999–2000 Idaho State 14–15 11–5 T–2nd
2000–01 Idaho State 25–5 16–0 1st NCAA First Round
Idaho State: 77–62 (.554) 55–37 (.598)
Air Force Falcons[13] (Mountain West Conference) (2001–2010)
2001–02 Air Force 4–24 0–14 8th
2002–03 Air Force 7–21 1–13 8th
2003–04 Air Force 4–24 1–14 8th
2004–05 Air Force 7–21 2–12 T–7th
2005–06 Air Force 13–15 4–12 7th
2006–07 Air Force 6–23 1–15 9th
2007–08 Air Force 10–19 4–12 T–7th
2008–09 Air Force 4–26 0–16 9th
2009–10 Air Force 3–27 0–16 9th
Air Force: 57–201 (.221) 12–124 (.088)
Total: 134–263 (.338)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ "Women's Hoops Begin Basketball Doubleheader with Idaho State". Utah Utes. December 22, 1998. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  2. ^ Wolken, Dan (February 1, 2006). "Playing field has drastically changed". Colorado Springs Gazette. Archived from the original on March 20, 2006. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  3. ^ Maier, Dennis. "1976-77 Idaho Prep Basketball". Idahoops. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  4. ^ "Letterwinner List" (PDF). Boise State Women's Basketball 2014-15 Almanac. 2014. p. 141. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "Ardie McInelly". Air Force Falcons. 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "ISU Head Coach Ardie McInelly". Idaho State University. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Schaller, Jake (March 29, 2010). "McInelly out as Air Force women's basketball coach". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  8. ^ Ramsey, David (January 29, 2009). "Air Force women's coach not giving up". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  9. ^ Shaw, Justin (December 2, 2013). "Girls' basketball: Harrison lands ex-Air Force coach McInelly". Colorado Springs Gazette. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  10. ^ "Harrison High School (Colorado Springs, CO) Girls Varsity Basketball".
  11. ^ Carmody, Kevin (June 22, 2016). "D12 athletic directors spend summer replacing coaches". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  12. ^ "Big Sky All-Time Records" (PDF). 2015-16 Big Sky Women's Basketball. Farmington, Utah: Big Sky Conference. 2015. pp. 97–98. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  13. ^ "Annual Standings" (PDF). Mountain West Women's Basketball Record Book. Colorado Springs: Mountain West Conference. 2021. pp. 35–37.