Rebecca Tillett has been named as an assistant coach for the Navy women’s basketball program by head coach Stefanie Pemper.
"Rebecca is a talented coach who comes from a family of coaches and she really gets it," said Pemper. "She has a wonderful way of connecting with people, engaging them and pushing them to reach their potential. I’ve always admired successful high school teachers and coaches because I think those jobs require a slightly different skill set and Rebecca personifies that. With graduating four starters and bringing in seven freshman, I feel like she is the perfect person to add to our staff at this time. She’s very hungry for this new challenge in her life and I see her having a significant impact on player development, on our team defense, on recruiting and on team chemistry."
"I am thrilled to be a part of the esteemed United States Naval Academy," said Tillett. "My late grandfather, Delbert Nordberg, was a 1946 graduate and I remember fondly stories of his time here. Thank you to Stefanie Pemper for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to working with the staff and athletic department to guide our student-athletes to great heights in the classroom and on the court. It is a privilege to be a part of the student-athlete’s team as they develop into Midshipmen and future leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps."
Tillett arrives on The Yard after spending the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The Crimson Hawks posted an 18-10 record a year ago and during the season were ranked as high as No. 20 in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.
Prior to entering the collegiate ranks at IUP during the summer of 2013, Tillett spent six seasons as the varsity head coach at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Va. She compiled an overall record of 122-39 and guided the school to four district crowns, three district tournament titles, three regional championships and three additional appearances is the region semifinals. The Bruins advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009 state tournament, the semifinals of the event in 2011 and reached the state title game in 2008.
Navy Sports Gameday Lite
Tillett’s players went on to play basketball on the collegiate level at schools such as Virginia, George Washington, Holy Cross, James Madison, George Mason and Dartmouth. She herself was lauded with multiple awards during her stint there. Tillett was named the Northwest Region Coach of the Year (2008, `09, `11), the Cardinal District Coach of the Year (2008, `09, `10), the News and Messenger Coach of the Year (2009, `10) and the Washington Post Coach of the Year for the Prince William Section (2008).
Tillett (nee Nemerow) graduated from William & Mary (Dec. 1999) where she served as the captain of the basketball team during her senior season. She has held teaching positions at both elementary and high schools in Virginia and was tabbed as the KidBiz3000 Teacher of the Year in 2006. Her coaching career began when she served as an assistant on the varsity level and head coach of the junior varsity team at Jamestown High School (Williamsburg, Va.) during her final year at William & Mary. Tillett would soon move on to coach the junior varsity team for two years and the varsity squad for four years at Osbourn Park High School (Manassas, Va.).
In all, she has compiled an overall record of 166-72 as a head coach.
Tillett fills the vacancy on the Navy staff created when Jenerrie Harris was named as the head coach at Massachusetts-Lowell.
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