Tara Tansil was named the new head women’s basketball coach at UTM on July 30.

This came after the former coaches, Gary and Kim Van Atta, resigned, citing family reasons.

“The reason we are leaving UT Martin is because of our family, our immediate family as well as our extended family,” said Gary Van Atta. “UT Martin gave us the opportunity to be a basketball family and this move will allow us to continue that. We will be able to watch our daughter (KC) play. She will be able to watch her father coach. We won’t have to drive to make it to her game and she won’t have to rush to make it to our game.

“Kim, KC and I are Skyhawks and we will always be Skyhawks. This is not a decision to take a new basketball coaching job, but I have two younger sisters who have been diagnosed with cancer and we want to be with family.”

Tansil has been an assistant coach for the Skyhawks during the past eight years, during which the team had a 105-122 record.

“I am very happy and very excited,” Tansil said. “I am just glad to have the opportunity to work for a program that I love and respect. I have played hard here, and I can work very hard for UT Martin.”

Because of Tansil’s success on the court as a player, in 1996 UTM retired her No. 24 jersey. She ended her tenure as the team’s second all-time leading scorer, with 1,072 points, and in 2000 was inducted into the UTM Athletics Hall of Fame.

Last season, the Skyhawks went 11-16 and finished seventh in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The team went to the OVC tournament for the seventh time in nine years, and has made it to the championship game twice in the past eight. In 1999, the Skyhawks had a 22-9 record, won the OVC title and made it to the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).

Tansil hopes to get the team back to that caliber of playing after last year’s losing record.

Helping her to take the team to the next level will be 10 returning letter winners and three starters.

Returning seniors are Chandra Carey from Little Rock, Ark., Leigh Ann Davidson from Jackson, Jenny Lannom and Danielle Paige, both from Bradford.

Tansil also takes on the task of hiring two new assistant coaches. A press conference will be held once the staff is in place.

The Skyhawks open their season at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 in an exhibition game against Spalding University.

They next will take on the Lambuth Lady Eagles at 7:00 p.m.on Nov. 16.

Over the course of their season, the team will travel to Lincoln, Neb., N.C. to take on Chapel Hill, and to Denver, Colo. for a tournament over Christmas Break.