Known as a top notch point guard in her own right, former Scarlet Knights guard Tasha Pointer begins her third season as an assistant coach at Rutgers under the guidance of Hall Of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer.
The Chicago, Ill. native returned to her roots in 2007 and hit the ground running, helping to bring in a recruiting class ranked No. 3 nationally with all five players appearing in the top-25 individually.
Pointer is instrumental in all aspects of the Scarlet Knights program, and has mentored Scarlet Knights guards and posts such as current WNBA players Matee Ajavon, Essence Carson, and Kia Vaughn.
Pointer began her coaching career at Columbia University (2004-06), coordinating all of the Lions' recruiting efforts and developing the perimeter players for two seasons.
Prior to her arrival at Rutgers, Pointer spent a year on staff at Xavier University helping lead the Musketeers to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. XU finished the season with a 26-9 record, tying for the second-most wins in school history, and also winning its third Atlantic 10 title.
Pointer also has worked with Organization Affiliate for Athletes in Action. During her tenure with AIA, Pointer traveled to Nigeria to play in exhibition games against top collegiate basketball programs, as well as serving as a motivational speaker.
Pointer led the Scarlet Knights to their first-ever Final Four appearance as a junior captain in 2000. She earned a number of accolades during her time in Piscataway, including the 1998 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year award and league first team honors twice.
In 2001, Pointer was also tabbed an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention. Pointer was named to two NCAA All-Tournament teams, selected to the 1999 Midwest Region and the 2000 West Region squads. In 2003, Pointer was named to the BIG EAST 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Team.
Pointer holds the Rutgers' all-time assists and steals records with 839 assists and 292 steals. In addition, she scored 1,456 points in her decorated career. The talented point guard recorded the first triple-double in Rutgers basketball history -men's and women's- on Jan. 10, 2001. Pointer registered four triple-doubles in her illustrious playing career, the most in BIG EAST history.
Pointer earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and mass media from RU and graduated with her master's degree in education administration and supervision in 2003, also from Rutgers.
Pointer’s accomplishments on the court were duly noted in 2008 when she was inducted into the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Pointer is married to Kwabena Yamoah.
She is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the Black Coaches Association (BCA), where she was a 2009 ACE program participant.
