The Iowa State Cyclone Women's basketball team is heading into a coaching transition, just not yet.

Head Coach Bill Fennelly announced on Monday that this coming season will be his last on the sidelines at Iowa State.

Fennelly will reportedly retire at the end of the season.

AMES, Iowa – Bill Fennelly, the winningest coach in Iowa State athletics history, announced Monday that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, concluding an incredible 39-year head coaching career with more than 50 seasons overall on the sidelines. Fennelly enters his 32^nd season at Iowa State, tying as the third-longest tenured coach in any program in ISU history.

"It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to coach at Iowa State for the past 32 years," Fennelly said. "I have been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to coach so many amazing players while working with loyal and dedicated staff members. We have built one of the most respected programs in the nation on and off the court. We have done that with the best fan base in the country that has grown from 310 in our first game to where it is today – top 10 for over 25 straight years.

"While I still love coaching and am working as hard as ever, I understand that this job has an expiration date. After talking with my family, I have made the decision that the 2026-27 season will be my last. Announcing my intention now is what is best for everyone in our program and provides the new athletics director clarity on my future and allows them to make plans for the program moving forward. Deb and our family can't thank everyone enough for the support we have received since the day we arrived. We have given everything we have to this program and our community. We are proud to call Ames home.

"I hope that the focus of everyone is on our players as it always is in our program," Fennelly concluded. "This is a special group and we are all committed to continuing to do things the Iowa State Way so we can share more Hilton Magic with Cyclone Nation."

Fennelly boasts a career record of 656-335 (.662) at Iowa State. He has led Iowa State to 24 NCAA Tournament appearances and 26 postseason appearances overall in his career.

With 822 overall victories in his career, Fennelly ranks 15^th all-time among NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches.

"Coach Fennelly is a legend in women's college basketball," Iowa State University Endowed Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. "Bill's impact on the young women in our program, the staff in our department, the thousands of fans that attended every home game, and the residents in our community, is second to none. He transformed our women's basketball program into a nationally respected and competitive program, and his imprint on our department will never be forgotten. I look forward to seeing a banner hung in the Hilton Coliseum rafters permanently memorializing his lasting impact on Iowa State University."

"For more than two decades, I've had the honor of working alongside Bill Fennelly and seeing firsthand not just the depth of his basketball mind, but the passion and purpose he brings to Iowa State every single day," Senior Associate Athletics Director Dr. Calli Sanders said. "Bill built a program that reflects who he is - disciplined, competitive, and relentlessly committed to his student‑athletes. His influence will be felt long after his final season, not only in the record books, but in the lives of the countless people he has mentored and inspired."

The Iowa State Cyclone women will open up the upcoming season at home against Grambling State on November 2nd. The Cyclones will play host to Upper Iowa in an exhibition prior to that on Wednesday, October 28th.

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Source: Women's Basketball - Iowa State Athletics