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Tanya Haave begins her third season as the head coach of USF Women's Basketball, after compiling an outstanding resume as a player and an assistant coach. Haave, a 2005 inductee into the Tennessee Lady Vol Hall of Fame, brought an impressive resume of success as a collegiate and professional player to the position. After spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Colorado under coaching legend Ceal Barry, Haave served as an assistant coach at Denver in 2005-06. In 2006-07, Haave's leadership brought a number of exciting moments. The Dons won their first game under Haave on November 17 against Colorado State, topping the Rams, 62 - 51. Under Haave, seventh-seeded USF would defeat No. 2 San Diego in the West Coast Conference first round, 80 - 69. Players, including Lisa Olden and Nykia Peace, saw big improvements under Haave's guidance. Beginning her second season at the Dons helm, Haave is looking to continue on an upward slope towards the top of the West Coast Conference. A NEW ERA ON THE HILLTOP Haave is just the seventh head coach in USF Women's Basketball history, taking over for USF Hall-of-Famer Mary Hile-Nepfel, who compiled a 270-267 record in 19 seasons on the Hilltop. Since 1995, the Dons made four postseason appearances including back-to-back-to-back NCAA berths, including a storied run to the Sweet-16 in 1996 - the furthest any West Coast Conference team has advanced in league history. USF last qualified for the postseason in 2002 with a WNIT berth. Haave believes San Francisco can be a force again in a league they once dominated. "Meeting the players during the interview process, it was clear that the cupboard is not bare. There is a good core group. Knowing this is a program with some tradition, it's important to get back to competing for conference championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. I'm going to want to push the tempo and I think we can do that off pressure defense on the o`ther end. I think it's fun for the players, fun for the coaches and fun for the fans to watch," Haave said. New USF Athletic Director Debi Gore-Mann, a women's basketball standout at Stanford, believes Haave is capable of guiding the Dons back to prominence. "I am impressed by the passion and enthusiasm Tanya brings to USF. Pat Summitt and Ceal Barry are two of the finest teachers and motivators in the game of women's basketball. I am confident Coach Haave will get the most from our players and build a winning tradition at the University of San Francisco," Gore-Mann said. COACHING BEGINNINGS Haave began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Regis University in Denver from 1999-2001, where she was responsible for all phases of recruiting as well as scouting, film exchange, team travel, practice planning and game preparation. From Regis, Haave served as an assistant at Colorado and helped the Buffs to three straight NCAA appearances, including an Elite Eight berth in 2002 and a 2003 Sweet-16 showing. After her tenure at Boulder, the Colorado native joined the staff at Denver for the 2005-06 season under head coach Pam Tanner. "My experience at Denver was outstanding and gave me the opportunity to work with a fantastic coach. The four years at Colorado and the opportunity to work for one of the game's top coaches has more than prepared me for this step," Haave said. "First and foremost, Tanya is a great person," Barry said, "Any kind of athletic department would want that kind of person representing them. She's very, very competitive. Her number one passion is sports and she wants to win. She's going to instill a winning spirit to the team. She's ready to be a head coach. She is mature and is not someone out of college for 10 years - she has outstanding experience as a player and as a coach." LENGTHY PROFESSIONAL PLAYING CAREER LEADS TO FULL PASSPORT & LASTING MEMORIES Prior to her tenure at Regis, Haave played professional basketball in Europe and Australia for 14 years. During her overseas playing career, Haave earned 10 League All-Star selections and was named team MVP five times. She was also a head coach in Sätila, Sweden for a year, guiding the Sätila SK Eliteseries squad. Haave compiled an impressive résumé while playing overseas, competing in France, Italy, Sweden and Australia and was highly decorated for her exploits, capturing team MVP honors for the Canberra Capitals team in 1997 and was a two-time winner at Sätila SK team from 1996-97. A two-time Swedish All Star in 1996 and 1997, she earned French All Star status from 1985-90 as well as 1992-94. In 1991 she earned Italian All Star status as a member of the OMSA Faenza team, averaging 18.3 ppg. LADY VOL HALL-OF-FAMER A three-year starter for the Tennessee Lady Vols, Haave competed for Hall-of-Fame coach Pat Summitt from 1980-84, where she also stacked up numerous honors while competing in three Final Fours (1981-82 & 1984). The Chevrolet "Player of the Game" for the national championship game in 1984, Haave enjoyed an outstanding junior campaign, earning Kodak All-American, First Team All-SEC, All-SEC Tournament Team, Academic All-SEC and team MVP honors in 1983. During her career in Knoxville, Haave scored 1,771 points, good for seventh place on the Tennessee career leader board. Dubbed "La Machine" for her deadly left-handed jumper, Haave ranks 10th in Tennessee women's basketball history in scoring, averaging 13.8 points and enjoyed a career-year in 1982-83, pouring in 18.6 as a junior. Haave's name litters the Lady Vols record books and she maintains 10 top-10 spots among career, single-season and single-game categories. Haave also played volleyball at Tennessee in 1980 and 1984, earning All-SEC honors as a freshman. Haave won recognition for her contributions off the court, earning the Chancellor's Citation for Academic Excellence and Leadership to the University and the Woman of Achievement Award from the Commission for Women at the University of Tennessee. A COLORADO PREP LEGEND A 1980 graduate of Colorado's Evergreen High School, Haave departed the state as one of the most highly decorated prep stars in state history. She earned the Fred Steinmark Award from the Rocky Mountain News and became the first woman to be named the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame High School Athlete of the Year, and was named the 1980 Sportswoman of the Year by the Sportswomen of Colorado. Haave was inducted into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame in the summer of 2001. She was also inducted into the Evergreen/Conifer Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 1993. She is fluent in French and has working knowledge of Italian, Spanish and Swedish. |
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