By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
ATLANTA, Ga. – Emily Hatfield already comes from an incredible legacy.
Her mother, Melinda Clayton Hatfield, is a legendary Tennessee Tech women's basketball player and TTU Sports Hall of Famer. Her father, Bruce Hatfield, had a tremendous career for the Golden Eagles and became a legendary Tennessee high school football coach before returning to join Dewayne Alexander's staff on the gridiron.
Now, their daughter, presently the second-year director of basketball operations for the Golden Eagle women's team, is taking another step on her own as she was selected as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's 2021 class of its "So You Want To Be A Coach" program, in partnership with WeCOACH.
Across all levels of college basketball, 32 former players were selected, including 18 from the Division I level – Hatfield among those.
Before joining the Tech staff in the 2018-19 season as a graduate assistant, Hatfield played four seasons at Western Carolina. She was a tremendous student there, earning Dean's List honors every semester, was awarded the Alice Benton Award as the university's most outstanding physical education major and accepting the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Dance and Sport Management's Female Student-Athlete Scholarship.
Hatfield received her bachelor's degree from WCU in 2018, then earned her master's degree in EXPW from Tech in December. She was promoted to the team's director of basketball operations before the start of the 2019-20 season.
The objectives of the "So You Want To Be A Coach" program, according to the program's press release, are to increase the understanding of skills necessary to secure coaching positions in women's basketball, increase the understanding and awareness of competencies necessary for success in coaching, introduce female basketball players to coaches and administrators, as well as raise awareness of the existing talent pool of female basketball players who have a passion and interest in coaching the game of women's basketball.
Participants will learn about the administrative side of coaching, recruiting, how to get hired, skill development, the importance of knowing the rules and how to balance work and life.
The program will hold a one-day online workshop on March 30. The 2020 class, which was unable to meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will also be able to participate in the online seminar.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
About WeCOACH
Founded in 2011, WeCOACH has become the premier membership organization committed to recruiting, advancing, and retaining women coaches across all sports and levels. Previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, the organization reinvigorated its brand in August 2018. By providing a supportive and unified network, educational programs and resources, and access to in-person and digital resources, WeCOACH is changing the landscape for women coaches. Learn more at www.wecoachsports.org.