A New Vision – Kim Rosamond addresses the media during a press conference March 31 in the Hooper Eblen Center. Rosamond takes over Tech’s women’s basketball team following Jim Davis’ retirement . Her previous job was as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University. Photo by: Shea Haile
The Tennessee Tech women’s basketball team introduced its sixth head coach in program history March 31. Kim Rosamond assumes the head coaching position in the program after a nine-year stint as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt University.
Rosamond arrives at Tech with 19 seasons of experience in the Southeastern Conference as a player and coach, but expressed excitement about coaching in the Ohio Valley Conference.
“I have a lot of friends that coach in this league (OVC),” said Rosamond. “I know that this is a very good league.”
“I’m just very excited to be able to coach in the OVC and be a part of it,” said Rosamond.
The Louisville, Mississippi native spent her playing career at the University of Mississippi before spending five years at the university as an assistant coach for the team. She experienced Tech’s Hooper Eblen Center atmosphere while playing at Ole Miss and again while coaching at Middle Tennessee State University from 2003-2005.
“The tradition that is in this building is unrivaled,” said Rosamond during her news conference speech. “I had the opportunity to play here as a player at Ole Miss. I also had the opportunity to coach here as an opponent at Middle Tennessee, and I know firsthand how it feels to be down on that floor trying to win a game with this place packed and those players giving it their all for Tennessee Tech.”
“That is the environment we want to create,” said Rosamond.
Other than creating a winning environment, recruiting is also going to be a focus for Rosamond. Getting highly ranked recruiting classes has been a mainstay for Rosamond during her coaching career. Rosamond’s recruiting classes that she has assisted with have ranked among the nation’s best each year during her time at Vandy. She helped Ole Miss gain two Top 50 recruiting classes while she was with the program. Rosamond described the traits she will be looking for in potential players at Tennessee Tech.
“We want to make sure that we are focusing on number one, character. We want a young woman of high character. A young woman that is going to want to compete in a classroom and on a court that values a degree,” said Rosamond. “We want skill, and we want a combination of athleticism, and we want kids with relentless work ethic that puts the team first in all they do.”
Rosamond has been part of staffs that have seen positive results on the court. Vanderbilt made it to the NCAA tournament seven times while Rosamond was on the staff. MTSU had two consecutive 24-win seasons, two Sun Belt Conference championships and first-round upsets of the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State during Rosamond’s time with the program.
The combination of recruiting success, winning on the court and her experience at academically rich universities influenced athletic director Mark Wilson to make the hire.
“Kim (Rosamond) has proven herself to be a winner, and we feel fortunate to get an accomplished, dynamic coach to lead our women’s basketball program,” said Wilson in a TTU sports press release.
Rosamond has 21 years of experience in women’s college basketball as a coach and a player. Outside of being interim head coach at MTSU for a month, Tech will be her first venture as a head coach.
