DeMoss will be interim coach at Louisiana Tech

Apr 9, 2016 - 12:38 AM RUSTON, La. (AP) Mickie DeMoss will serve as the interim head coach of the Louisiana Tech women's basketball team.

Athletic director Tommy McClelland announced the decision Friday, a day after Tyler Summitt resigned from the position acknowledging he had an inappropriate relationship.

''I want to start by saying the allegations of a possible inappropriate relationship were brought to our attention and we immediately began an investigation into these allegations,'' McClelland said. ''Prior to the conclusion of that investigation, Tyler (Summitt) chose to resign from his position yesterday and we accepted his resignation.''

DeMoss had been Summitt's associate head coach since he took the job two years ago.

''Obviously, this has been a very disappointing and heartbreaking situation for everyone involved,'' McClelland said. ''This is a difficult time for everyone, but especially for our women's basketball program and student-athletes. Their well-being comes first and foremost in everything that we do.''

DeMoss was out of the country on vacation when the news broke yesterday and she will return this weekend. McClelland said he will meet with her when she gets back. She was a player on the inaugural Lady Techster team in 1974.

The AD said that he met with Summitt at 10 a.m. on Thursday and at the end of the meeting the coach resigned. McClelland later met with the team and everyone associated with the program.

''As you can imagine it was a very somber and emotional setting,'' he said.

Summitt is the son of Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt. He married high school girlfriend AnDe Ragsdale on June 1, 2013, and Louisiana Tech hired Summitt in April 2014 after two seasons as assistant coach at Marquette. Now 25, Summitt went 16-15 in his first season and 14-16 this season.

He graduated from Tennessee, where he spent two seasons on the men's basketball team. He also was a student assistant coach for his mother and the Lady Vols. He is a co-founder and board member of The Pat Summitt Foundation.

His mother announced in August 2011, at the age of 59, that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She retired in April 2012 as the winningest NCAA coach and became head coach emeritus at Tennessee.

Pat Summitt has a career record of 1,098-208 with eight national championships, 16 Southeastern Conference regular season titles and 16 tournament titles. She also coached the U.S. women's Olympic team to the 1984 gold medal.