Eighmey departs UI for South Dakota

Former Idaho women’s basketball coach Carrie Eighmey departed the program for South Dakota, UI confirmed Monday.

Eighmey spent one year in Moscow and helped the Vandals to a 15-16 overall record and an 8-10 mark in Big Sky play.

Idaho finished the regular season sixth in the conference. The Vandals fell 64-48 to Montana in the opening round of the Big Sky tournament on March 11.

Eighmey and the Idaho State Board of Education approved her contract during an Oct. 18 meeting at Lewis-Clark State College. But UI and Eighmey never finalized a multi-year contract, which resulted in the university not receiving a buyout following her departure.

Eighmey would’ve had to pay $500,000 “to the university as liquidated damages and not a penalty,” according to her contract.

According to the University of Idaho’s website, her contract is still listed under “pending,” although she’s listed with a salary of $120,016.00 on the university’s operating budget for 2023-24.

South Dakota finished 23-13 overall last season and was 9-7 in Summit League play.

The Coyotes qualified for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 2023-24 and won two games before falling 84-52 to Wyoming on March 29 in the Round of 16.

Before joining Idaho, Eighmey led the University of Nebraska-Kearney for eight seasons in the NCAA Division II ranks. Her tenure there was highlighted by three straight NCAA DII tournament appearances from 2021-23, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2021.

The interim coach for Idaho is yet to be announced, and the transfer portal closes today.

This story was updated with more information at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.