GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University head women's basketball coach Roger Hodge has announced that former Pioneer student-athlete Michala Hash has returned to the program as assistant coach.
Hash has been head varsity girls basketball coach at Mount Juliet Christian Academy for the past three seasons, as well as serving as interim athletic director. She has five years of coaching and administrative experience at the Division I and II levels.
"I am so excited to return 'home.' There is just something so special about returning to coach at your alma mater," said Hash. "Tusculum has always been a special place from the academics, community, and atmosphere. I have been blessed to experience it as a student-athlete and I cannot wait to give those same experiences to our current and future players."
"We are very blessed to have someone of Michala's qualifications return to Tusculum and be part of our family," said Hodge, who will begin his second season with the Pioneers this fall. "She has a heart for this university and a passion to see our program succeed. Coach Hash is a perfect fit culturally and shares the values of Tusculum."
Hash, a native of Woodlawn, Virginia, played three seasons (2013-14 to 2015-16) with the Pioneers. She was a member of the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, as well as the Tusculum Dean's List.
After graduating cum laude from Tusculum in 2016 with a bachelor of science degree in psychology with a minor in coaching, Hash spent two years as a graduate assistant at Gardner-Webb University while earning a master of arts degree in sports education in 2018.
Hash spent two seasons (2018-20) as assistant coach at Coker University, and was acting head coach for five months in the summer and fall of 2020. She then moved on to Sacred Heart University as coordinator of women's basketball for the 2020-21 season prior to taking the Mount Juliet Christian Academy position.
Hash was a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association during her years of coaching at the collegiate level, and was also part of the WBCA Mentoring Program for three years.
"Coach Hodge has been awesome to get to know," Hash said. "We share a lot of the same values and ideals for the program. The future is bright for Tusculum women's basketball. I am thankful Coach Hodge has provided me the opportunity to be a part of this process again."
"Michala and I have the same vision for our team both on and off the court," Hodge added. "I am supremely confident that she is going to have a major impact on our team and on our level of success. It is not often you able to add someone to your staff who brings the experience, knowledge, character, and determination that Michala brings. You can also hear the pride she has in her voice when she talks about playing here and being a Tusculum graduate. That is part of what makes her a special addition to our program."
The Pioneers will open the 2024-25 season by hosting the Southeast Region Challenge on Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 9-10 at Pioneer Arena. Tusculum will face Lees-McRae in their season opener on Saturday, Nov. 9 and take on Columbus State on Sunday, Nov. 10.
