Southern Utah Athletics and Athletic Director Debbie Corum have announced Tracy Sanders as the new head coach for the Thunderbird women’s basketball program.
“There was a large number of very qualified candidates interested in this position, and Tracy was one of the favorites from our very first conversation with her,” Corum said. “She has many years of experience helping lead a successful program, both as a student-athlete and a coach. And her vivacious personality is infectious. We welcome Tracy and her family to Cedar City with a great amount of excitement and anticipation for the future of SUU women’s basketball.”
Sanders will join the Thunderbirds from Saint Mary’s College where she has served on staff for the last 12 years under head coach Paul Thomas. Sanders has held the title of Associate Head Coach for the past five seasons. Her current duties include coordinating all aspects of recruiting, opponent scouting, game preparation, and player development.
“I am extremely honored and excited for the opportunity to lead the Southern Utah University women’s basketball team,” Sanders said. “I want to thank President Scott Wyatt, and Director of Athletics Debbie Corum, for believing in my ability to guide this program to success and build a winning tradition here in Cedar City.”
Sanders has worked primarily with the post players during her time with the Gaels, which led to the development of two WCC Players of the Year, a two-time WCC Defender of the Year, and a WCC Tournament MVP amongst many other accolades. The two-time WCC Defender of the Year, Louella Tomlinson, is the Gael’s all-time leading scorer, taking the title from Sanders herself, and holds the NCAA record for career blocks per game average.
Before starting her coaching career in 2000, Sanders was a four-year letterwinner for the Gaels from 1996-2000. During her time as a member of the team, Sanders was a three-time All-WCC First Team member, two-time WCC Tournament Team member (including Tournament MVP in 1999), WCC Freshman of the Year in her inaugural season, and WCC Player of the Year her junior season. She led the conference in scoring for three straight years and finished her career as the WCC’s second all-time leading scorer.
In addition to her individual achievements, Sanders led the Gaels to the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance in 1999 and the WNIT in 2000. In 2007, Sanders was inducted into the Saint Mary’s Hall of Fame and in 2014 she was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor.
Sanders will move to Cedar City with her husband, Jon, and her two children, Cason and Samantha.
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