Rosamond announces staff promotions
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech women’s basketball head coach Kim Rosamond announced Wednesday that Melanie Walls has been elevated to Associate Head Coach, Allison Clark has been elevated to Assistant Head Coach and Jasmine Cincore has been named co-Recruiting Coordinator. “Melanie Walls and Allison Clark have been the engine behind rebuilding TTU women’s basketball back into a championship program,” Rosamond said. “It is only fitting that Mel is recognized as our associate head coach and Alli as our assistant head coach. To sum it up, they are my right and left hands. Our success would not have happened without the both of them. These are roles they have basically served in for the last seven seasons, and they deserve to be rewarded with the public recognition they have earned.” “Since joining our staff a year ago, Jasmine has added so much value to our staff both on and off the court. Her knowledge in player development is next-level. Her communication and organizational skills are excellent. She is an outstanding recruiter and has a knack for evaluating and building relationships.”
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech women's basketball head coach Kim Rosamond announced Wednesday that Melanie Walls has been elevated to Associate Head Coach, Allison Clark has been elevated to Assistant Head Coach and Jasmine Cincore has been named co-Recruiting Coordinator.
"Melanie Walls and Allison Clark have been the engine behind rebuilding TTU women's basketball back into a championship program," Rosamond said. "It is only fitting that Mel is recognized as our associate head coach and Alli as our assistant head coach. To sum it up, they are my right and left hands. Our success would not have happened without the both of them. These are roles they have basically served in for the last seven seasons, and they deserve to be rewarded with the public recognition they have earned."
"Since joining our staff a year ago, Jasmine has added so much value to our staff both on and off the court. Her knowledge in player development is next-level. Her communication and organizational skills are excellent. She is an outstanding recruiter and has a knack for evaluating and building relationships."
Walls joined the Golden Eagle staff in June of 2016 shortly after Rosamond was named head coach. Walls has served as the offensive coordinator, director of player development, as well as overseeing academics for the last seven seasons. The Golden Eagles have excelled in all areas under Walls' guidance.
As the program's director of player development, Walls has helped develop six 1,000-point scorers, five All-OVC first-team selections, five second-team picks, as well as three all-newcomer team nods.
The numbers don't lie, and Walls' impact as offensive coordinator has been impressive. During the 2022-23 campaign, the Golden Eagles ranked as the top scoring offense in the Ohio Valley Conference, averaging 71.3 points per game en route to winning Tech's first OVC Tournament Championship in 23 years.
Tech also led the league in field goal percentage (.442), 3-point field goal percentage (.347), assists (16.3 per game), assist/turnover ratio (1.2) and 3-pointers made per game (6.9). The Golden Eagles also finished third in free-throw percentage (.767).
Walls' commitment to the academic side is evidenced in the team's consistent success in the classroom. Following the 2021-22 season, the Tech women's basketball team earned its first-ever appearance on the WBCA Academic Top 25, while the team continues to set new highs in team grade point average. In Fall 2022, the team posted a 3.603 GPA – its second-best ever outside of the Spring 2020 COVID-19 semester, with all 14 student-athletes recording a 3.0 or better with nine higher than a 3.5 and four with a perfect 4.0. Since Fall 2020, the team has not had a semester GPA lower than a 3.498.
"I have coached with some of the best in the business, and Melanie Walls ranks at the top of that list," Rosamond said. "There is no better teacher or basketball mind, and she could be a D-I head coach today if she chose. There is a level of excellence that is attached to anything Mel does, and she leaves a trail of championships wherever she coaches. Her feel for the game, ability to put players in positions to succeed, and in-game coaching are truly second to none."
In 2016, Rosamond retained Clark from the previous staff and named her recruiting coordinator, director of community relations and defensive coordinator. Clark also oversees alumni relations/fundraising for the staff. The Golden Eagles saw immediate success with Clark overseeing recruiting.
A nationally known and respected recruiter, Clark has brought in several excellent recruiting classes to the Golden Eagle program, including recent TSSAA Miss Basketball winners in Reagan Hurst and Jennifer Sullivan, while also bringing in Maaliya Owens, who was named the 2023 OVC Preseason Player of the Year after breaking the Tech single-season 3-point record last season.
On the court, Clark makes her presence felt in many areas, but especially on the defensive end. Golden Eagle fans only need to remember Tech's stifling defensive performance in the 2023 OVC Championship game to understand her gift of scouting. Clark's defensive game plan helped Tech hold regular season champion Little Rock to 46 points in the historic win.
Clark also oversees the program's alumni relations efforts, whether in reaching out to Golden Eagle alumni for support and fundraising or special events. In 2017, Clark helped revive the team's annual "Maintain the Tradition" fundraiser, which stands as one of the most successful fundraisers among the Tech Department of Athletics.
"Coach Alli is a walking billboard for what success at Tech looks like," Rosamond said. "She was an elite player at Tech who has come home and become an elite coach, recruiter and motivator. Her passion and ability to recruit the right players to Tech and mentor them once they arrive has been key to our success. Alli will continue to oversee recruiting, but she will also be able to focus her efforts more on the court and in the community with Jasmine taking on a bigger role on the organizational side."
Cincore was named assistant coach prior to the 2022-23 and quickly made an impact. Her versatility as a player at Nebraska has carried over to her court coaching as she has worked with both the posts and guards and served as rebounding coach the last two seasons.
Cincore's work with rebounding paid dividends as the Golden Eagles ranked first in rebounding defense (33.7 allowed per game), third in the conference last season in rebounding margin (plus-0.8), fifth in offensive rebounds (34.5), fifth in defensive rebounds (23.2), third in defensive rebound percentage (.690) and second in offensive rebound percentage (.326).
"Coach Cincore has been a tremendous addition to our staff," Rosamond said. "She is an up and coming young coach who is hard working, smart, and understands what it takes to win at the highest level. Her organizational skills and ability to relate to players and recruits will continue to have a positive impact for us in recruiting, and we are excited for her to take on a larger role."
The Golden Eagles will open up Ohio Valley Conference play on Thursday as they entertain Little Rock as Tech looks to defend its conference championship. Thursday's game is set for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
Tickets for Tech women's basketball are on sale now – call (931) 372-3940, visit the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or order online at TTUsports.com.
