Carlos Funchess

{{Short description|American college basketball coach}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Carlos Funchess

| image =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lbs = 185

| team = Southern Lady Jaguars

| conference = Southwestern Athletic Conference

| position = Head coach

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|2|13}}

| birth_place = Magee, Mississippi, U.S.

| high_school = Magee (Magee, Mississippi)

| college = *Copiah–Lincoln CC (1987–1989)

• Louisiana–Monroe (1989–1991)

| draft_year = 1991

| career_start =

| career_end =

| career_number =

| career_position = Shooting guard

| coach_start = 2005

| coach_end =

| years1 = 1992–1993

| team1 = Sioux Falls Skyforce

| years2 = 1993–1994

| team2 = Rockford Lightning

| cyears1 = 2005–2018

| cteam1 = Southern (assistant)

| cyears2 = 2018–present

| cteam2 = Southern

| highlights = As player:

• Southland co-Player of the Year (1991)
• 2× First-team All-Southland (1990, 1991)

As coach:

• Maggie Dixon Award (2019)
• 2× SWAC Coach of the Year (2019, 2025)
• 2× SWAC regular season champion (2019, 2025)
• 3× SWAC tournament champion (2019, 2023, 2025)

}}

Carlos Funchess (born February 13, 1969{{cite book| last = Meister| first = Brett| date = 1994 | title = 1994-95 CBA Official Guide and Register| location = St. Louis | publisher = Continental Basketball Association| page = 283}}) is an American college basketball coach for the Southern Lady Jaguars of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He played college basketball for the Northeast Louisiana (now called Louisiana–Monroe) Warhawks and later professionally for several years.

Funchess was born and raised in Magee, Mississippi. After his prep career he played two seasons at Copiah–Lincoln Community College before transferring to Northeast Louisiana prior to the 1989–90 season. He led the Warhawks to consecutive Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships. As a senior, Funchess averaged 19.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and was named Southland Conference co-Player of the Year with teammate Anthony Jones.{{cite web| last = Hunsucker| first = Adam | url = https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/ulm/2018/07/05/carlos-funchess-ulms-doctor-dunk-takes-over-southern/757646002/ | title = Carlos Funchess, ULM's 'Doctor of Dunk,' takes over at Southern | date = July 5, 2018| website = thenewsstar.com| publisher = The News Star | access-date = January 1, 2024| quote = }}

Following his college career, Funchess played professionally in several North American minor leagues as well as in Venezuela.{{cite web | url = https://hbcusports.com/2018/06/20/southern-university-to-name-carlos-funchess-to-head-womens-basketball-team/ | title = Southern University to name Carlos Funchess to head women’s basketball team | date = June 20, 2018| website = hbcusports.com| publisher = HBCU Sports | access-date = January 1, 2024| quote = For the next three years, Funchess played for the Miami Heat, Global Basketball Association, U.S. Basketball League in Atlanta, Continental Basketball League in Sioux Falls, and played some overseas in Venezuela.}} He played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Rockford Lightning. He played 19 games in his CBA career, averaging 5.6 points per game over two seasons.

After his playing career, Funchess joined the women's basketball coaching staff at Southern University in 2005. In 2018, he was hired as the head coach to replace Sandy Pugh, who left to coach Prairie View A&M.{{cite web| last = Keys| first = Perryn | url = https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/southern/it-all-goes-back-to-respect-carlos-funchess-takes-over-as-southern-womens-basketball-coach/article_d8189f30-75a3-11e8-b6b6-f3106f68f720.html | title = 'It all goes back to respect': Carlos Funchess takes over as Southern women's basketball coach | date = June 21, 2018| website = theadvocate.com| publisher = The Advocate | access-date = January 1, 2024| quote = }} His first season was highly successful as the Lady Jaguars went 20–13 and won both the regular season and tournament championships in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). He was named conference coach of the year and was recognized nationally as the Maggie Dixon Award winner as the top first-year head coach.{{cite web| last = Auzenne| first = Josh | url = https://www.wafb.com/2019/04/04/su-womens-basketball-head-coach-carlos-funchess-wins-coach-year-honor/ | title = SU women’s basketball head coach Carlos Funchess wins Coach of the Year honor | date = April 4, 2019| website = wafb.com| publisher = WAFB | access-date = January 1, 2024| quote = }}

Funchess led the Lady Jaguars to the 2023 SWAC tournament title in his fifth season.{{cite web| last = Salzer| first = Charles | url = https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/southern/southern-women-win-swac-tournament-to-earn-ncaa-berth/article_dc2aacf4-c066-11ed-a994-3f208a49fffd.html | title = Southern women's basketball team win SWAC tournament to earn NCAA tournament berth | date = March 11, 2023| website = theadvocate.com| publisher = The Advocate | access-date = January 1, 2024| quote = }}