The University of Toronto is pleased to announce that two-time Olympian Tamara Tatham will assume the position of interim head coach of the Varsity Blues women’s basketball program.
“Tamara has excelled at every level,” said Beth Ali, executive director of athletics and physical activity. “As a former student-athlete, she understands the nuances and rigours of balancing both the academics and athletics at an elite level. As a longstanding member of Canada’s national team, she also understands the pathway to excellence, its grind and challenges. Now as a coach, she has flourished and embraced all aspects of her development. I have no doubt that our program and our student-athletes will be positively impacted by her leadership.”
Tatham joined the Varsity Blues coaching staff as the full-time lead assistant coach in June 2017. In 2018, she became an assistant and apprentice coach with Canada Basketball, overseeing camp logistics for the FIBA America Qualifier (U17), as well as planning and executing team and individual workouts. That same year, she was named a mentee coach for Raptors 905, becoming the first Canadian female named to a coaching staff of a North American professional men’s basketball team.
The Brampton, Ont., native played with the Canadian senior women's national basketball team from 2007-16. Her time with Team Canada included trips to the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, two Pan American Games, six FIBA Americas championships and two FIBA world championships.
Her esteemed national team career is highlighted by a gold medal from the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games, where Canada defeated the United States, 81-73, to claim the first ever Pan Am gold medal in basketball, men or women.
“Being a part of the Varsity Blues program for the past three years has given me the tools I need to step into this role,” said Tatham. “There are big shoes to fill but learning from Michele (Belanger), a pioneer and leader in U SPORTS basketball, has prepared me in many ways, and I am grateful for that. It’s not everyday you can be in an environment with a legacy and history of an institution such as U of T’s. I look forward to building, continuing and driving the standards of excellence and values we can lean on to bring holistic success to the program.”
Prior to her time with the senior women's national team, Tatham's basketball career blossomed at the University of Massachusetts (2004-07). Named team captain in her final two seasons, she became just the 11th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.
Tatham earned a bachelor's degree in sports management and interned with the UMass athletics department. After graduation, Tatham traveled overseas playing with various international clubs from 2008-2017, including Lappenranta Catz (Finland), Halle Lions (Germany), Piestanske Cajky (Slovakia), Townsville Fire (Australia), and Dynamo Novosibirsk (Russia).