Tasha Pointer

Tasha Pointer
Personal information
Born (1979-06-27) June 27, 1979 (age 45)
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Career information
High schoolWhitney Young
(Chicago, Illinois)
CollegeRutgers (1997–2001)
WNBA draft2001: 4th round, 52nd overall pick
Selected by the Portland Fire
Playing career2001–2004
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number12
Coaching career2004–present
Career history
As player:
2004Chicago Blaze
As coach:
2004–2006Columbia (assistant)
2006–2007Xavier (assistant)
2007–2015Rutgers (assistant)
2015–2017St. John's (assistant)
2017–2018Northwestern (assistant)
2018–2022UIC
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference

Natasha Pointer (born June 27, 1979) is an American basketball coach and former player who is currently the head women's basketball coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was drafted in the fourth round of the 2001 WNBA draft by the Portland Fire with the 52nd overall pick.

Playing career

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Pointer played college basketball at Rutgers, where she was a four-year starter as a point guard. At Rutgers, she was the first person in the history of the Big East Conference to record more than 1,000 points, 700 assists, 500 rebounds, and 250 steals as well as the first player to record a triple-double in the history of Rutgers women's basketball.[1]

Pointer was drafted by the Portland Fire with the 52nd overall pick in the 2001 WNBA draft, but did not make the final roster. She was later selected by the Chicago Blaze in the third round of the National Women's Basketball League draft in 2004 and played two games with them.[2] Pointer was later signed by the New York Liberty but was waived a month later.

Rutgers statistics

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Source[3][4]

Ratios
YEAR Team GP FG% 3P% FT% RBG APG BPG SPG PPG
1997-98 Rutgers 32 47.1% 20.5% 63.8% 4.219 5.594 0.000 3.063 14.000
1998-99 Rutgers 33 44.8% 25.8% 70.7% 3.600 6.848 0.091 2.000 10.300
1999-00 Rutgers 32 46.8% 36.6% 68.2% 4.625 5.531 0.063 1.906 9.688
2000-01 Rutgers 31 46.9% 20.8% 67.3% 6.000 8.300 0.000 2.200 11.500
Career 128 46.5% 24.7% 67.2% 4.586 6.555 0.047 2.281 11.375
Totals
YEAR Team GP FG FGA 3P 3PA FT FTA REB A BK ST PTS
1997-98 Rutgers 32 160 340 15 73 113 177 135 179 0 98 448
1998-99 Rutgers 33 117 261 8 31 99 140 118 226 3 66 341
1999-00 Rutgers 32 111 237 15 41 73 107 148 177 2 61 310
2000-01 Rutgers 31 137 292 11 53 72 107 186 257 1 67 357
Career 128 525 1130 49 198 357 531 587 839 6 292 1456

Coaching career

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Pointer began her coaching career at Columbia as an assistant coach in 2004.[5] She was also an assistant at Xavier for one season before joining her alma mater Rutgers as an assistant coach. She spent eight seasons with the Scarlet Knights helping them rebuild themselves into contenders before joining St. John's in 2015 as an assistant coach. Pointer left St. John's after two seasons to join Northwestern as an assistant coach.[6]

Pointer was named the head coach at UIC in 2018.[7] It was announced that Pointer would not return after the 2021–22 season.[8]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
UIC Flames (Horizon League) (2018–present)
2018–19 UIC 3–26 1–17
2019–20 UIC 3–27 2–16
2020–21 UIC 3–16 1–13
UIC: 9–69 (.115) 4–46 (.080)
Total: 9–69 (.115)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ "Rutgers' Pointer keeps it real". USA Today. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Chicago Blaze Selects Scott-Richardson with Number One Pick". OurSportsCentral. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  3. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  4. ^ "FINAL 1998 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Women's Basketball Adds Natasha Pointer To Staff". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Tasha Pointer Joins Northwestern Coaching Staff". Northwestern University Athletics. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. ^ "UIC hires Tasha Pointer as new women's basketball coach". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. ^ "UIC Transitions Women's Basketball Leadership". UIC Athletics. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
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