Amid the offseason, Rutgers Women's Basketball will have a third assistant coach opening.
Assistant Tasha Pointer will leave the staff, a source close to the program confirmed to The Knight Report. She joins John Hampton and Johnetta Hayes as other assistants to depart.
Pointer returned to Rutgers with the hiring of Coquese Washington in June of 2022 for her second stint as an assistant coach, and previously worked as an assistant to former head coach C. Vivian Stringer from 2007 to 2015.
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The 2008 Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame inductee made her mark as a player before her coaching career, starring at point guard for Rutgers from 1997-01.
She still holds the program records in career assists (839) and assists per game (6.6), and is second in steals (294). She started all four years, earning the 1998 Big East Rookie of the Year and All-Big East First Team honors twice. She also finished as the only player in conference history to record 1,000 points, 700 assists, 500 rebounds, and 250 steals in a career. She also recorded four triple-doubles in her senior year.
The Scarlet Knights made the NCAA Tournament in all four years Pointer played, including the 2000 Final Four. She also set the single-game record for assists in an NCAA Tournament game (18) against Stephen F. Austin. Following her standout collegiate career, Pointer played in the WNBA for three years.
She then got into coaching, taking her first job as an assistant coach at Columbia from 2004-06, joining Xavier's coaching staff the following season. In her one year with the Musketeers, led by current Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff, Xavier went 26-8 and reached the NCAA Tournament after winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Stringer then brought Pointer on for her first coaching stint at her alma mater. In her eight-year tenure as an assistant, the Scarlet Knights brought in multiple top-five recruiting classes, including seven future WNBA Draft picks recruited by Pointer. The team made six NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight, a Sweet 16, and a WNIT Championship in 2014.
The Chicago native then joined the St. John's coaching staff as an assistant for two years, followed by a one-year stint as an assistant at Northwestern. She landed her first head coaching job at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where she led the Flames for three seasons and a 11-84 record.
Following her tenure at UIC, Pointer returned to Rutgers with Washington.
In her second tenure, Pointer served as the team's Offensive Specialist and worked with the team's point guards.
Rutgers had multiple strong guards in her time, including Kaylene Smikle, Kiyomi McMiller, and Mya Petticord. Smikle earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors as a freshman and set the program scoring record for freshmen. McMiller earned an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in her lone season as a Scarlet Knight, and Petticord turned in strong performances in McMiller's absence late in the season.
The program's staff turnover continues, as Pointer is the third assistant coach to leave the program. John Hampton joined Ganiyat Adeduntan's new staff at George Washington, and Johnetta Hayes landed the head coaching job at Alabama State.
The support staff has also seen its fair share of exodus
Director of Scouting & Technology Will McIntire also got his first coaching job, joining Florida Gulf Coast as an assistant coach, Chief of Staff Stephen Fishler is headed to Virginia Tech as Assistant AD, General Manager, and former Director of Basketball Operations Ali Hoesly joined Duke prior to the 2024-25 season as Executive Assistant to the Head Coach.
The Scarlet Knights now have three assistant coach positions open, with Nneka Enemkpali and Jeanine Wasielewski remaining under Washington.
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