Northwestern University Athletics
McKeown Names Tangela Smith Associate Head Coach
9/15/2022 11:02:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Illinois -- Tangela Smith has been promoted to associate head coach of Northwestern women's basketball, head coach Joe McKeown announced Friday. The Chicago native and two-time WNBA champion originally joined the Wildcats staff in 2018 as an assistant coach.
"Tangela's incredible success at every level of basketball speaks for itself," McKeown said. "Each day she brings the same passion for teaching the game that she had for dominating on the court. Over the last several seasons she has developed post players who were central to a Big Ten championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and her wisdom and leadership are critical to our program's continued ascent as a perennial title contender."
The 1998 Big Ten Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection during a decorated undergraduate career at the University of Iowa, Smith was the No. 12 overall selection by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 1998 WNBA Draft. She became just the seventh player in league history to record 4,000 career points during a 15-year career which included winning the 2007 and 2009 WNBA Championships as a member of the Phoenix Mercury.
Smith's primary responsibilities for the Wildcats have been post player development and the overall skill development of the team. In her first season with the Wildcats, she helped to develop Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah who went on to play professionally in Italy and represent her home country, Nigeria, in the 2020 Olympics and 2021 FIBA Women's AfroBasket.
In her second season with Northwestern, Smith coached Abbie Wolf and Abi Scheid as the Wildcats won the 2020 Big Ten championship. Scheid was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for her senior campaign while Wolf earned Honorable Mention recognition. Smith was instrumental in Wolf's development throughout her career and senior season.
"Tangela's incredible success at every level of basketball speaks for itself," McKeown said. "Each day she brings the same passion for teaching the game that she had for dominating on the court. Over the last several seasons she has developed post players who were central to a Big Ten championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and her wisdom and leadership are critical to our program's continued ascent as a perennial title contender."
The 1998 Big Ten Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection during a decorated undergraduate career at the University of Iowa, Smith was the No. 12 overall selection by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 1998 WNBA Draft. She became just the seventh player in league history to record 4,000 career points during a 15-year career which included winning the 2007 and 2009 WNBA Championships as a member of the Phoenix Mercury.
Smith's primary responsibilities for the Wildcats have been post player development and the overall skill development of the team. In her first season with the Wildcats, she helped to develop Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah who went on to play professionally in Italy and represent her home country, Nigeria, in the 2020 Olympics and 2021 FIBA Women's AfroBasket.
In her second season with Northwestern, Smith coached Abbie Wolf and Abi Scheid as the Wildcats won the 2020 Big Ten championship. Scheid was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for her senior campaign while Wolf earned Honorable Mention recognition. Smith was instrumental in Wolf's development throughout her career and senior season.
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