Longwood women’s basketball has officially named Rebecca Tillett as their next head coach, Director of Athletics Troy Austin announced in a press release on April 12.
“We’re ecstatic to announce Rebecca Tillett as head coach of our women’s basketball program,” Austin said in the press release. “She has grown up immersed in the profession in nearly every aspect of her life, so it’s no surprise she has sustained success at every step of her own coaching career.”
Tillett takes over the program after former head coach Bill Reinson’s eight-year stint with the team ended on March 9.
A 1999 graduate of William & Mary and Virginia native, Tillett becomes the eighth head coach in Longwood women’s basketball history. After spending 15 seasons as a coach at the high school level, she transitioned to the collegiate level in 2013 as the assistant coach of Indiana University at Pennsylvania.
She spent just one season at IUP before being named as the assistant coach for Navy in 2013, then was promoted to recruiting coordinator in 2016-17, and worked her way to being named associate head coach in 2017-18.
According to the April 12 press release, Navy women’s basketball head coach Stefanie Pemper spoke highly of Tillett, attributing her work ethic and her strong knowledge of basketball.
“Rebecca will be terrific at Longwood because she knows how to be successful in every aspect of the job,” Pemper said in the press release. “Her passion for basketball, for coaching, and for mentoring women is non-stop. She has endeared herself to our program and will do the same in Farmville.”
Tillett assisted Navy to back-to-back 20-win seasons and accumulated an overall record of 81-47 while in Annapolis. She also led them to an appearance in the Patriot League Championship game, as well as the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).
“Our family feels incredibly fortunate to join Longwood Athletics, the university, and the Farmville community,” Tillett said in the press release. “To embark on the journey a team takes each season in my home state of Virginia is quite literally a dream come true. Our staff will look to build relationships with our current players and recruit student-athletes who want to be a part of something greater than themselves at Longwood.”
She continued, “Thank you to President W. Taylor Reveley IV and Troy Austin for the opportunity. Their collective vision for building on the continued success of Longwood Athletics is inspiring.”
