State Championship Coach Hired To Lead Arkansas Tech Program

Daryl Fimple guided North Little Rock to a sixth straight championship on March 14.

A few weeks later, the veteran coach was introduced as the new head coach at Arkansas Tech.

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Fimple becomes the seventh all-time coach for the Division II program. He capped his 21-year tenure at North Little Rock with championships in his first year (2005-2006) and his last year. The latest, was a 46-40 win over Springdale Har-Ber in the Class 6A finals.

On March 30, Arkansas Tech director of athletics Abby Davis announced he would take over the collegiate program.

He became the program’s seventh head coach and will guide the Golden Sun during their 50th season of a program during the 2026-27 school year.

"I am deeply honored to accept the head women's basketball coach position at Arkansas Tech University," said Fimple. "Returning to the program where my career began as a student coach is a true full‑circle moment — I am committed to honoring the university's proud tradition, developing champions on and off the court, and building a future our community can be proud of. Thank you for this incredible opportunity.”

Fimple’s background

Fimple got his first head coaching gig at Lonoke, there from 1999 to 2005. He racked up 668 wins between both stops.

He was the coach of the year this season for guiding the Lady Charging Wildcats to a title, the sixth since his arrival. The school had none before hiring him.

He also won titles in 2009-10, 2015-16, 2017-18 and 2021-22.

Fimple's North Little Rock teams reached the state semifinals 17 times and the state championship game nine times. He led the Lady Charging Wildcats to 16 conference championships.

He’s guided 56 players who have signed scholarships to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.

Fimple is an Alma native, who graduated from Arkansas Tech.

What they’re saying

"Daryl has been preparing for this opportunity since he was 10 years old," said Davis. "From his first exposure to Arkansas Tech through Marty Barnes' basketball camps to his days as a player for the Wonder Boys and continuing through his service on Joe Foley's women's basketball staff as a student assistant, Daryl became encultured in Arkansas Tech basketball from an early age. He took what he learned from Coach Barnes and Coach Foley and became one of the most successful high school basketball coaches in Arkansas history. In Coach Fimple, we have identified an individual who has the knowledge, the relationships and the will necessary to add to the incredible championship tradition of Golden Suns basketball."

The background

Foley became a student assistant for the women’s program for the 1995-1996 season. There, he worked under Hall of Fame Coach Joe Foley, who is the all-time leader in wins at Arkansas Tech with 456 and winner of two NAIA titles.

The Golden Suns have earned 1,125 all-time wins, which ranks top 10 in NCAA Division II women's basketball history.

They have also been an NCAA Division II national runner-up finish, made seven national tournament semifinal berths, won four NCAA Division II region championships, claimed 26 regular season conference titles and recorded 20-win seasons 35 times.