By Nate Perry, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – After making a strong impression as a graduate manager a season ago, Emily Hatfield will now ascend the ranks of Kim Rosamond's support staff, having been named the new Director of Operations for the Golden Eagle women's basketball program.
"I'm excited to step into my new role," Hatfield expressed. "I was blessed to work with the Tech women's basketball program last year as a graduate manager, and got to work closely with Coach Rosamond and the staff. Both of my parents are TTU alumni, so the campus and Cookeville community feels like home."
"We are really excited to have the opportunity to elevate Emily into a full-time position with our staff," Rosamond said. "For the last year, she has made us better in so many areas, and she has made a lasting impact on our team in a very short time. The Ops position demands organization, self-motivation, and constant communication; Emily possesses all these qualities and more."
Working behind-the-scenes during Tech's turnaround campaign in 2018-19, Hatfield performed a number of different tasks that helped improve day-to-day efficiency, including team activities and meals coordination, game film preparation, and statistics recording at games and practices.
Prior to arriving in Cookeville, Hatfield graduated from Western Carolina University in the spring of 2018, where she played four seasons for the Catamount basketball team, competing in 87 career contests and starting 20.
In the summer of 2014 she was a camp counselor for WCU's women's basketball camp, organizing player activities with a focus on fundamental skills and the importance of teamwork.
"As a former collegiate player, I hope to use my experience, along with the vast knowledge of the coaching staff to challenge and support the young women in our program," Hatfield added.
Hatfield assembled a robust academic resume at Western Carolina as well, winning the Alice Benton Award during her senior year as the university's outstanding physical education major, the North Carolina Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance, and Sport Management (NCAAHPERD-SM) Female Student-Athlete Scholarship as a sophomore and as a junior, and made the Dean's List in every semester.
As a prep player at Hendersonville (Tenn.) High School, she enjoyed a prolific career, tallying over 1,000 career points.
Emily is the daughter of former Tennessee Tech student-athlete and current football assistant coach Bruce Hatfield and former women's basketball standout Melinda Clayton Hatfield, a 1999 Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
"The apple never falls far from the tree, and the Hatfield family has been a huge part of so much success in Tennessee Tech athletics," Rosamond added. "It is special to have her continue this tradition, but make no mistake, Emily earned this position on her own merit. She is such a great example to our players of someone who was willing to come into our program, buy into our system, put in the work without immediate gratification and patiently earn her opportunity."
"People like Emily are rare today; she spent a year with us – basically volunteering her time as a graduate manager – but working everyday like she had a six-figure job. The pride she takes in her work, the attention to detail, and the professional way she carries herself are going to make her a rising star in our business."
