Sept. 24, 2004
NEW YORK, N.Y. -Natasha Pointer, former Chicago Blaze team member and Rutgers star, will join head coach Traci Waites as an assistant coach for the start of the season. "I am very excited to have hired a coach with her background, enthusiasm, and knowledge. With her skill level, she will improve the quality of our guards. Tasha will also be an incredible asset in recruiting and I believe that she will be able to pull great talent from the New York and New Jersey area. As a staff, a team and a department, we are very thrilled to bring her in," said coach Waites.
Pointer was drafted to play for the Chicago Blaze of the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) after her graduation from Rutgers and was also invited to the New York Liberty (WNBA) Training camp. In the 2004 season with the Blaze, Pointer appeared in 19 games, averaging 7.5 points, 3.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds a game.
Over the past six years, Pointer has also been involved with many basketball camps including Three Female Ballers in Accra and Kumasi in Ghana, Africa and Michael Jordan's Basketball Camp in Chicago, Illinois.
While at Rutgers, Pointer led the team to their first ever appearance in the Final Four in 2000, serving as team captain. Pointer garnered numerous honors during her collegiate career including Big East Rookie of the Year (1998), Big East First Team (1999, 2001), Big East All-Tournament Team (2000) and Associated Press All America honorable mention (2000). She was also honored by the Big East conference, being named to the Big East 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Team in 2003. Pointer is still ranked number one on the all-time list for assists and steals with 839 and 292, respectively. Both are all-time records for both men's and women's Scarlet Knights basketball teams. She is also ranked eighth in all-time scoring with 1,456 career points.
Pointer graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass media in 2001 and received her master's in education administration and supervision in 2003
A highly recruited athlete from Chicago, Ill., Pointer was named to the Parade All-American first team and the USA Today All-American second team as a high-schooler at Whitney Young High School. She was a four-year starter at Whitney Young who played in the city championship four years in a row and helped her team win the title in 1995.
