Abilene Christian assistant coach and former Hardin-Simmons All-American Kendra Hassell has been tabbed as the new UT Tyler women’s basketball head coach, the fourth in program history.
Hassell spent two seasons as an assistant coach with NCAA Division-1 program Abilene Christian, helping to lead the Wildcats to 35 wins in two seasons while competing as a member of the Southland Conference.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Kendra and her family to the City of Tyler and to UT Tyler. Kendra had a tremendously successful playing career in the American Southwest Conference, setting numerous records during her time at Hardin-Simmons”, said Dr. Howard Patterson, Vice President for Student Affairs.
“Kendra knows what the D3 experience is like, and will use that knowledge to help lead the UT Tyler women’s basketball team to even more success in the years to come.”
Prior to ACU, Hassell spent three seasons coaching at Carroll University in Wisconsin where she helped the Pioneers to three straight winning seasons while coaching two Midwestern Conference Player of the Year award recipients.
Prior to joining the Carroll staff, Hassell spent one season (2009-10) on the staff at Texas Woman’s University where she helped lead TWU to a 15-12 record and 9-5 mark in the Lone Star Conference.
Prior to coaching at TWU, Hassell coached for one season at Fort Worth Paschal High School, and before that she spent three seasons working for Goodenough as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Charleston Southern University.
Prior to coaching at Charleston Southern, Hassell was as an assistant coach at Forney High School in Forney, Texas from 2005-2006 and a graduate assistant coach at Oklahoma State University from 2003-2005. She also served as a camp counselor at Hardin-Simmons University (1999-2002) and Oklahoma State (2003-2004) and camp director at Bronte High School in 2000 and Graham High School in 2003.
Hassell played four years at Hardin-Simmons University and was a two-time Kodak First Team All-American, Verizon Academic All-American and American Southwest Conference Female Athlete of the Year. She was also named Conference Players of the Year and Region Player of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2003. Hassell received the 2003 NCAA Texas Woman of the Year honors and selected to the Division III Hoops All-Decade Team in 2007.
In 2014, Hassell was inducted into the American Southwest Conference Hall of Honor. She finished her Hardin-Simmons careeeer ranked second all-time in points scored (1,759) averaging 15.6 points per game. She is the all-time leader in field goals attempted (1,292) and is tied for the lead in career field goals made (694). She also finished ranked third all-time in rebounds (955).
Hassell graduated from Hardin-Simmons with a bachelor degree in behavioral science while earning her master’s degree in exercise science at Oklahoma State in 2005.
Hassell and her husband, Derek, have a daughter, Kaylee.
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