Former Boilermaker Sharon Versyp is back in familiar territory after spending the last season behind enemy lines.

The now-former Indiana coach was announced Friday as Purdue's eighth head coach, replacing Kristy Curry who departed for Texas Tech after seven seasons in West Lafayette. Versyp, who starred at Purdue from 1985-88, will be formally announced as Curry's successor early next week after she returns to the state from a cruise. She is the first Purdue graduate to lead the Boilermaker women's basketball team.

In a highly unusual move, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan — likely upset that his coach was leaving Bloomington after only one season — made the first public announcement of Versyp's decision early Friday morning on the university's website, thus trumping an official statement from Purdue.

In her only season in Bloomington, Versyp led a senior-laden IU team to a 19-14 record, at a program unaccustomed to consistent success. The Hoosiers lost in the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

Perhaps the highlight of Indiana's season was an overtime victory Feb. 19 at Purdue, marking Versyp's first return to her alma mater.

"She's 1-0 in Mackey Arena and hopefully we can keep her undefeated there," rising senior Katie Gearlds said.

After that victory, Versyp said her return was an emotional one.

"My emotions were stepping in last night and really thinking back to the first time I was here," she said. "Looking up at (former) Coach (Dr. Ruth) Jones' and (former assistant) coach (Nancy) Cross' offices.

"A lot of the players, they were teasing me, (asking) 'did you play on this court?' And I was like 'what, was it the 1960s when I played?' I just said 'there's a few more lights, we didn't have electricity back then.'

"I just feel good. I never talked about it with my players. I don't do that at all; I'm very internal. But I think the players knew, coming back with my background and everything. We just knew stepping on the court, with it being my first year here and being a former Boiler, our team is always going to battle. That's what I'm proud of."

Under Versyp's guidance, the Hoosiers won nearly twice as many games in '05-06 (19) as they did in '04-05 (10) in Kathi Bennett's final season at IU, which had endured three consecutive losing seasons, largely with the same players Versyp inherited.

Previously, she'd coached at Maine for five seasons, compiling an overall record of 98-51, winning 25 games in both 2002-03 and '03-04 and guiding the Black Bears to three America East regular-season titles in a row.

"You have to be impressed with what she had done at Maine in her five years there," Gearlds said. "Her last three seasons there were pretty successful, winning 20-something games."

Previously, Versyp was an assistant coach at James Madison and Louisville and coached high school ball at near-by Benton Central in Oxford and at Indianapolis' Lawrence North.

Winner of the 1984 Indiana Miss Basketball Award out of Mishawaka High School, Versyp went on to become a four-year starter at Purdue and one of the school's all-time assists leaders, handing out 418.

Versyp, who was interviewed by Purdue officials late last week prior to leaving for vacation, beat out at least two others who also were interviewed for Purdue's vacancy. Missouri State coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson interviewed on Tuesday, while Evansville coach Tricia Cullop, who played in West Lafayette from 1990-93, talked to Purdue officials Thursday.

"Sharon is our choice, and she is excited about returning to her alma mater," said athletic director Morgan Burke in a release Friday morning.

After returning home from her trip Sunday night, Versyp will likely meet the Boilermakers early next week, then be formally introduced as coach Monday or Tuesday.

"We're all pretty excited," Gearlds said. "She's a Boilermaker, black and gold."

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