Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown announced on Wednesday the addition of Tasha Pointer to the Wildcats’ staff as an assistant coach.
“We are really excited to announce the hiring of Tasha as our new assistant coach,” McKeown said. “As a Chicago native this will be a homecoming, and she brings great experience and success to Northwestern. Tasha has had a great impact everywhere she has coached, and her knowledge and energy make her a great addition to the Wildcat family.”
Pointer returns home after two seasons on the sidelines at St. John’s. As the lead assistant, she helped the Red Storm to a 45-22 record and two postseason appearances, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016.
“Northwestern presents an exciting platform to support Coach McKeown and the Wildcat family in the Big Ten,” Pointer said. “His success in building this program over the years into one of national prominence, and the opportunities for our young ladies to further academic and athletic pursuits are key contributors in my decision to join the staff. My personal history and affection for the Chicagoland area makes this a homecoming of sorts after being away for nearly 20 years. I want to thank St. John’s University, head coach Joe Tartamella and athletic director Anton Goff.”
Prior to her time in New York, Pointer was an assistant at her alma mater, Rutgers, for eight seasons, where she was instrumental in bringing in some of the top recruiting classes in the country. The Scarlet Knights’ 2007, 2011, and 2012 classes were all ranked No. 3 nationally, and Pointer helped bring the nation’s top point guard recruit to Piscataway in 2013.
Pointer advanced to five NCAA tournaments as a coach at Rutgers, including trips to both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
The 1997 Whitney Young High School graduate was a First-Team Parade All-American and was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. She was twice named a First-Team All-Illinois selection by the Chicago Tribune and was ranked the No. 10 player in the nation.
Pointer was one of the best players in Rutgers history during her career from 1998-2001. She led the Scarlet Knights to their first ever Final Four appearance in 2000 and earned a number of awards, including 1998 Big East Rookie of the Year, 2000 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, four all-conference honors, and was a 2001 Nancy Lieberman Award Finalist. In 2003, Pointer was named to the Big East 25th Anniversary Team.
She is the all-time leader in both assists (839) and steals (292) in both men’s and women’s basketball at Rutgers and was the first player in Rutgers basketball history to record a triple-double, ultimately posting four of them during her senior season.
Pointer began her coaching career as an assistant at Columbia in 2004, aiding in recruiting efforts for the Lions until 2006, when she took an assistant coaching position at Xavier for a season until moving back to Rutgers.
Pointer joins associate head coach Christie Sides and assistant coach Tiffany Coppage on McKeown’s staff for the 2017-18 season.
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