Jody Wynn makes changes to Washington coaching staff

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Tamara McDonald, the newly-hired assistant coach at the University of Washington. Photo Courtesy of UW Women’s Basketball.

The state of Pac-12 women’s basketball is a bit unsettled right now due to the pandemic, but Washington head coach Jody Wynn has settled a few things. On Tuesday, Wynn announced the hiring of Tamara McDonald as an assistant coach and the promotion of assistant coach Paul Reed to the position of recruiting coordinator.

While McDonald is a newcomer to UW, she’s not unfamiliar with Wynn. Wynn and her husband, UW assistant coach Derek Wynn, were on the staff at Pepperdine when McDonald starred for the Waves.

McDonald arrived at Pepperdine as a McDonald’s All-American in 1999. She made the All-West Coast Conference Team three times and was named the 2003 WCC Player of the Year as a senior.

After a few years playing professionally overseas, McDonald went into the coaching ranks. Her first stop was in high school ball, where she served as the head coach at Calabasas High and later as the associate head coach at Malibu High.

She moved to the college game in 2007, taking on an assistant coaching role at Cal Poly Pomona. Her next stop was as the head coach at Citrus College in Glendora, Calif.

She also has experience working in special education and the corporate world.

“Tamara is a great addition to our staff, and we are excited to welcome her to the Husky family!” Wynn said in the school’s press release. “She is a proven winner, leading our Pepperdine teams to four post-season appearances, including three NCAA Tournament berths. She was a standout all-conference guard and WCC Player of the Year and an incredible team leader both on and off the court. Tamara has a relentless work ethic, excels at player development, and at her ability to build meaningful relationships. She is a proven teacher and has a myriad of experiences as a head coach, assistant coach, and working in corporate America that will serve our program very well.”

McDonald replaces former assistant coach Michelle Augustavo-Fisher, who left to spend time with her family.

Paul Reed, UW assistant coach, and the newly-promoted Recruiting Coordinator. Photo courtesy of UW Women’s Basketball.

Reed is entering his fourth season with the Huskies, a period when they have gone 31-61 while trying to rebuild after the graduation of Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor.

He arrived in Seattle along with Wynn after serving on her staff at Long Beach State for three years. Those years culminated in 2016-17 with the Beach’s first NCAA Appearance since 1992.

“We’ve been very pleased with the job Paul has done in our program,” Wynn said. “His work ethic, along with the ability to evaluate and develop relationships with highly talented student-athletes, made it easy to give him the recruiting coordinator title.”