On March 25, 2024, University of North Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney announced the hiring of Candi Whitaker as the ninth head coach in UNA women's basketball history.
Whitaker enters her second season with the Lions in 2025-26, coming off a 13-win season in her debut campaign in 2024-25. Whitaker also led UNA to an Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament appearance in year one. She owns a career record of 244-239 as a head coach.
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Whitaker has a combined 17 years of head coaching experience at multiple levels, including stints at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) from 2006-2012, Texas Tech — her alma mater — from 2013-2017 and most recently at Missouri Western from 2019-2024.
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This is also not the first time Looney has hired Whitaker, as he led the charge on her hire at Missouri Western in 2019. In five seasons with the Griffons, Whitaker had an overall record of 100-47 and led MWSU to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2022 and the MIAA Regular Season Championship in 2024. She was named the 2024 MIAA Coach of the Year.
Whitaker has many accomplishments on her resume, including coaching seven WNBA draftees. She also produced seven nationally-ranked recruiting classes in her coaching career, led UMKC to its first and second postseason appearances in school history, led Texas Tech to one of the largest season-to-season turnarounds from six wins to 15 wins in 2014-15 and led MWSU to its first Elite Eight appearance in 27 years.
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Her players have also exemplified success in the classroom with 62 academic all-conference selections over her time as a head coach.
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Whitaker has participated in five career NCAA tournaments.
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Before starting her coaching career, Whitaker played two seasons at Texas Tech and helped the Red Raiders to a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2001 and 2002. She was team captain both seasons after transferring from Seward Community College, where she was an NJCAA All-American and the NJCAA national assist leader in 2000.
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After her playing career, Whitaker went on to Valparaiso University as an assistant coach, where she earned her Master's degree in 2004.
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Whitaker then went on to coach at UMKC from 2004-2012, where she started as an assistant coach before being elevated to interim head coach in 2006. The interim tag was removed in 2007 and she finished with 77 wins over six season. Her final season was the most successful at that point in UMKC women's basketball history, as the Kangaroos finished 22-12 overall and 11-7 in conference play and made it to the first round of the WNIT. From there, she went to Oklahoma State as associate head coach before leaving for the head coaching position in Lubbock.
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In 2013, Whitaker was named the head coach at Texas Tech, where she won 54 games over five seasons. After Texas Tech, Whitaker spent the 2018-19 season away from the hardwood until her call with Looney at Missouri Western. In 2019, she made her way back to the Midwest and finished with a 100-47 record over five seasons.
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In the community, Whitaker was named the Bill Synder Woman of Impact by the St. Joseph Sports Commission in 2023. She was also recognized by the St. Joseph YWCA's Women of Excellence Program.
Whitaker graduated from Texas Tech in 2002 with a degree in Exercise Sports Science and earned her Master’s in Sports Administration at Valparaiso in 2004. She married Matt Whitaker in April 2007. They have three children — Westin, Will and Callahan.
