April 5, 2005

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - It was announced Tuesday that UC Santa Barbara women's basketball assistant coach Tasha McDowell has resigned to accept a similar position at the University of Wisconsin. She will begin her tenure with the Badgers on May 1.

McDowell - a native of Moline, Ill. - spent four seasons at UCSB, the last three as the program's recruiting coordinator. She was instrumental in bringing Big West Conference All-Freshman Team members Jenna Green (2004) and Jessica Wilson (2005) to Santa Barbara, and helped the Gauchos sign their first-ever recruit from the state of Illinois, Brittanie-Taylor James. McDowell also helped coordinate UCSB's offense in 2004-05 and played an active role in the team's community outreach.

She will also coordinate recruiting efforts under head coach Lisa Stone at UW, replacing Denise Ianello who left the program after two seasons after her husband accepted a football coaching position at Notre Dame. In 2004-05 - Stone's second season in Madison, Wis. - the Badgers went 12-16 and finished eighth in the Big Ten Conference.

"The hardest thing I ever had to do was leave my family in the Midwest to move to Santa Barbara, and now the second-hardest thing will be leaving my Gaucho family," McDowell said. I've never been part of a program that's so tightly-knit. I think I grew as both a coach and a person during my time with the Gauchos. However, I feel extremely fortunate that Lisa Stone has given me the opportunity to join her staff."

UCSB head coach Mark French will begin his search for McDowell's replacement in the coming weeks.

"I want to thank Tasha for everything she gave our program. I think she changed our program in ways have been growth-producing in many different areas, and her stamp will be on the Gauchos for a long, long time," French stated. "We will all miss Tasha, but I know that she's delighted not only to join a great Big Ten program, but one that's a lot closer to her family in Illinois."

With McDowell on staff UCSB captured four consecutive Big West Conference titles, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each season. The Gauchos' 4-4 record in the Big Dance since 2002 is the best four-year mark in school history, and includes the program's first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2004. Last season Santa Barbara posted a 21-9 overall record.