Washington women's basketball adds national champion to coaching staff
Article excerpt
The Washington Huskies hired former UCLA assistant Tasha Brown as an assistant coach in the women's basketball program on Friday.
Washington women's basketball is adding a national champion to the coaching staff ahead of a highly anticipated season.
Tasha Brown was named an assistant coach specializing in peak performance by the Huskies on Friday after spending the last eight seasons at UCLA, where she helped the Bruins to their first national title last season. She is credited with developing UCLA's "Mind Gym", a mental conditioning program to complement the team's physical training.
In her time at UCLA, Brown assisted in 208 wins, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and two Final Fours to go along with that national championship. But before that, Brown worked as an assistant at Rice during the 2017-18 season, under current Washington head coach Tina Langley.
Husky Nation…please join us in welcoming Tasha Brown to Washington‼️💜🙌 pic.twitter.com/qJHzMjcCI0
, Washington Women’s Basketball (@UW_WBB) June 26, 2026
A decorated assistant coach who has produced 18 future professionals, Brown worked for five seasons at Cincinnati before joining up with Langley at Rice. She also has had stints at Western Michigan (as head coach), Wisconsin, UC Santa Barbara, Bradley, Dayton, and NAIA St. Ambrose in Iowa, where she also played one season of college basketball.
Brown has also been credited with the shooting development of 2026 WNBA draft picks Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez, so her arrival on Montlake comes at a critical time. The Huskies return their top two shooters, guards Avery Howell and Sayvia Sellers, but as a team, they were just No. 57 in the country in shooting percentage from beyond the arc last season. By comparison, UCLA was No. 9, nearly three full percentage points better than Langley's squad.
None of Washington's four incoming transfers shot better than 33.9 percent from the arc last season, either, with North Carolina State forward Tilda Trygger at that mark. For a Huskies squad that struggled to find consistent offense with Sellers and Howell off the floor last season, finding consistent shooting will be a must. Brown steps in as a coach who can help them find that and adds championship experience for a squad that will have aspirations of making the program's first Sweet Sixteen since 2017.
"Tasha is an exceptional coach, mentor, and leader," said Langley of her new assistant. "I've had the privilege of seeing her teach the game at an elite level firsthand, but it's her commitment to growing young women that truly sets her apart. Her holistic approach to training the mind and body has helped countless players reach peak performance. Tasha has a passion for service and is driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence. She is one of the best in the country at developing the whole person, and I am so excited for our young women to learn from her."
Washington was ranked No. 11 in a late April top 25 compiled by The Athletic following most of the sport's transfer portal movement. That clocked in one spot above Brown's former employer, UCLA, which is reloading after losing Rice, Jaquez, No. 4 overall pick Lauren Betts, No. 9 pick Angela Dugalic, No. 15 pick Gianna Kneepkens, and No. 18 pick Charlisse Leger-Walker to the WNBA draft this offseason.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington women's basketball adds national champion to coaching staff