Wichita State women’s basketball added veteran leadership to its sidelines Monday afternoon — and it wasn’t through the transfer portal.

Instead, the team announced Melanie Balcomb was hired as an associate head coach. Balcomb most recently was the head coach at Division II Ohio Dominican for three seasons.

“Melanie Balcomb brings championship experience, a Final Four pedigree and a track record of developing elite players at the highest level,” WSU head coach Terry Nooner said in a statement. “She’s a proven leader who knows how to build, sustain and elevate programs.”

Balcomb has 21 years of Division I head coaching experience and led teams to 15-straight NCAA Tournament appearances — three at Xavier from 1999-2001 and 12 at Vanderbilt from 2003-14. 

Before being hired at Xavier ahead of the 1995-96 season, she spent two years as Division II Ashland’s head coach from 1993-95.

Balcomb led Xavier to a program-record 31 wins and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2001 during her tenure in Cincinnati, Ohio. She finished with a record of 135-78 during her seven seasons there.

Balcomb continued to raise the bar during her 14 seasons as Vanderbilt’s head coach from 2002-2016. Along with 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearances under Balcomb’s guidance, she’s also the all-time winningest head coach in Commodores history at 310-149.

Vanderbilt recorded 11 consecutive 20-plus-win seasons while she was there.

Balcomb was also on Dawn Staley’s staff at South Carolina when the Gamecocks won their first national championship in 2017.