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Contact Coach Smith: Tammy Smith enters her seventh season as the head coach at Lafayette and will continue to build a solid foundation for the program during the upcoming 2007-08 season. Fresh off an appearance in the Patriot League Tournament and armed with the program's second full-scholarship class, Smith possesses the necessary tools to push Lafayette forward within the always competitive Patriot League. In 2001, Smith became the fourth coach in the Lafayette women's basketball program's 33-year history and begins her 14th overall as a collegiate head coach. Smith opens the 2007-08 season with a career record of 132-191 (.409). The 2006-07 season was an indication of the progress the Leopards have made under Smith's guidance. The team posted a 5-9 record in league play, marking the most wins in conference games since a 7-5 mark in 1997-98. That record also earned Lafayette a trip to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Last season's successes were made possible by a 2005-06 campaign in which Smith's team also made great strides. That season was highlighted by a win over Patriot League powerhouse and defending champion Holy Cross at Kirby Sports Center. The Feb. 4 triumph capped a season in which the Leopards managed the most wins (8-20) since the 1998-99 campaign. Before coaching at Lafayette, Smith compiled a record of 113-68 (.624) at Muhlenberg, a NCAA Division III institution located in nearby Allentown, Pa. During her tenure, she led the women's basketball program to five straight Centennial Conference East Division Championship appearances (1996-2000) at a school that had never before won a division title. Two of those seasons, 1996-97 and 1997-98, resulted in Centennial Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1997-98, Smith led Muhlenberg to its first victory in a NCAA Tournament game. Smith's 1995-96 Muhlenberg team recorded a school-record 19 wins, while the performances of her 1997-98 and 1998-99 squads earned her nominations for NCAA District 4 Coach of the Year honors. Prior to coaching at Muhlenberg, Smith spent 14 years (1983-1997) at North Warren Regional High School in Blairstown, N.J., as a physical education teacher and coach of numerous sports. As the girls' varsity basketball coach for 11 years, she accumulated a 193-58 (.769) record and led her squads to the state championship game three times. Along the way, she received four Coach of the Year honors from the local media, including being named Coach of the Year in 1989-90 by both the Easton Times-Express and Newark Star Ledger. The New Jersey Herald also selected Smith its Coach of the Year in 1988-89 and again in 1992-93. Smith is a 1982 graduate of East Stroudsburg University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education. She finished her playing career by being named MVP in her senior season. Smith began her coaching career as an assistant coach at her alma mater during the 1983-84 season. Smith completed a master's degree in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg in December of 2004. Smith resides in Forks Township, Pa. |
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