U of T basketball coach Tamara Tatham joins Raptors 905 as first Canadian woman in the role

Tamara Tatham is making history.

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s basketball assistant coach has just joined the coaching staff of Raptors 905, the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, making her the first Canadian woman to have a coaching job on a North American men's professional basketball team.

Tatham was hired by Raptors 905 head coach Jama Mahlalela, who also has ties to U of T, having served as an assistant coach with the Blues men's team from 2005-2009.

“I've played basketball my entire life, started coaching, so I know a lot about the game and I know what I can give to the game, and to the younger generation,” Tatham told the Canadian Press. “I'm really excited to have this opportunity to really showcase, not just for women, but for the Canadian culture.

“Jama's given me a huge opportunity as a Canadian coach to learn from some of the best, and that's something I really am excited about.”

Tatham, who joined the Blues as a full-time assistant coach last season, is a two-time Olympian, having represented Canada at both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She has also donned the red and white at two Pan American Games, six FIBA Americas championships, and two FIBA world championships.
  
Her esteemed national team career is highlighted with 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.
 
Prior to her time with the senior women's national team, Tatham's basketball career blossomed at the University of Massachusetts. Named team captain in her final two seasons, she became just the 11^th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.

She will continue her position with the Blues while working with Raptors 905 for practices, team meetings and home games.