Bio

What a difference two years make. Two years is all head coach Sytia Messer needed to resurrect the once proud Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team to its former glory.

When Messer signed on to be the head women’s basketball coach at Tennessee Tech prior to the 2009-10 season, her main goal was to bring the program back to what it once was: a dominant team and a perennial OVC Championship contender.

Messer would only need two seasons to accomplish this as the 2010-11 Golden Eagles not only posted a winning 23-8 record, but also won their first OVC Championship since the 2005-06 season.

Now the roles have shifted back to what they once were. Unlike her first two seasons, where Tech was considered an underdog, the Golden Eagles will be one of the odds-on favorites to repeat as OVC champions and potentially make it all the way to the NCAA Tournament.

And why shouldn’t the expectations be set high as Tech returns all five starters and 92 percent of its scoring from a year ago. With all but two players returning from last year’s squad, and a trio of talented newcomers coming in, it’s no surprise that the Golden Eagles would have their sights set even higher as the 2011-12 season unfolds.

Messer’s expertise in recruiting can be traced back to her days as a member of the Georgia Tech coaching staff where she rose to the rank of associate head coach. During her five seasons at Georgia Tech, Messer was the primary architect of five of Georgia Tech’s top recruiting classes.

During the 2007-08 season Messer helped recruit the highest-ranked player to ever sign with the program, only to top that accolade a year later as her recruiting class was ranked as high as sixth in the nation.

Messer’s recruiting prowess carried over to Tennessee Tech as she brought in the highest ranked recruiting class in OVC History

With her excellent recruiting skills, Messer also coaches with a level of intensity that will bring out the best in every player who dons a Tennessee Tech uniform.

Messer’s intensity is not isolated on the court, however, as she expects the same kind of effort out of her players in the classroom and the community. During Messer’s second season, her players had a combined 3.2 GPA in the fall semester, and the followed up with a 3.3 GPA in the spring semester en route to 17 AD Honor Roll selections and five OVC Commissioner Honor Roll selections. The Golden Eagles have also been visible in the community, as they have participated in a number of events including Habitat for Humanity and the Fall Fun Fest.

Messer’s desire for success can be traced back to her decorated playing career at Arkansas where she played four seasons for the Razorbacks. Messer led the team to a 22-11 record and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1998 where she was named the Most Valuable Player for the West Regional. Messer and the Razorbacks followed up with a WNIT Championship in 1999.

Over the course of her four seasons at Arkansas, Messer tallied 1,379 points to rank seventh on the all-time scorers list. Messer’s prowess was not limited to scoring however, as she ranked 10th in career rebounding with 603, sixth in free throws made with 329 and fourth in career 3-pointers with 112.

Messer’s players are seeing the same success that she enjoyed during her playing days on the court. Not only did the Golden Eagles win their 16th OVC Championship in the program’s history, but they also made their fourth appearance in the WNIT Tournament, and first since 2006.

Last season’s success was not limited to team accomplishments as several of Messer’s players were awarded for their individual performances.

Junior guard Tacarra Hayes was named all-OVC first-team for the second straight season, and was named the OVC co-Defensive Player of the Year. She led the team in a number of categories including points with 525 (16.9 ppg), and now ranks 18th on the all-time scorers list at Tech with 1,208 points. Hayes was also named the OVC Player of the Week twice.

Junior center Brittany Darling made an immediate impact in the paint for the Golden Eagles as she racked up 173 rebounds and tallied 236 points. She notched five double-doubles on the season and was named the OVC Newcomer of the Week on seven occasions.  

Freshman forward Molly Heady appeared in every game for the Golden Eagles last season, and she made the most of it, as she finished second on the team in scoring with 274 points, and led the OVC in free throw percentage with a mark of 85.5. She was named to the OVC all-Newcomer Team for her efforts.

Messer and her squad have accomplished so much in two years, but there is still one more goal they are striving for, an opportunity to play in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.