Tajama Abraham Ngongba Gallery
Tajama Abraham Ngongba, the 2010-11 Big South Coach of the Year, just completed her fifth season as head women’s basketball coach at Radford University.
In 2012-13, the Highlanders reached the semifinals of the conference tournament for the second straight season and for the 18th time in program history.
Following her lead, the 2011-12 squad played its way into the semifinals of the Big South Tournament for the first time since 2008 and wrapped up the 27th winning season in program history.
Guiding the Highlanders to their best program start (7-1) in league play since 1997-98 and to a second place regular-season finish, Ngongba garnered coach of the year honors for the first time in her young coaching career for the 2010-11 campaign.
Radford’s second-place finish was due to an 11-5 regular-season mark, posting the most wins in league play since 1993-94. The Highlanders also secured their 600th program win under her watch when Radford upended Presbyterian on Jan. 22, 2011.
Ngongba joined the Highlanders as the program’s sixth head coach on May 7, 2008. In her first season at the helm of Radford University’s women’s basketball program, Ngongba guided Radford to a third-place regular-season finish in the Big South after being picked to finish fourth. Under her direction, Taleia Moton earned first-team all-conference honors and Johnette Walker was named Big South Defensive Player of the Year.
She earned her first collegiate coaching victory on Dec. 5, a 78-58 triumph over Southern Virginia. Another notable victory for the Highlanders during her first season included the program’s 200th Big South regular season victory on January 24, 2009 against Coastal Carolina.
Ngongba spent four years as an assistant coach at George Washington, her alma mater, where she also served as an administrative assistant from 1999 to 2001. A former standout player at GW from 1994-1997, she has been part of 252 Colonial victories, an average of 25 per season with four Sweet 16 appearances. In all, Ngongba has played a role in more than half of head coach Joe McKeown’s 468 wins in her nine years with the Colonials.
Ngongba’s primary responsibilities at George Washington included recruiting, scouting, team academics, postseason workouts and player development, with emphasis on post play. She was instrumental in the development of Atlantic 10 First-Team All-Conference post players Jessica Adair, Jessica Simmonds and Anna Montañana. She also mentored and coached GW honorable mention All-American Kimberly Beck, all-conference performer Sarah-Jo Lawrence and Academic All-American Kenan Cole. Lawrence and Beck are now both in WNBA training camps.
Prior to her return to GW in June 2004, Ngongba served as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth for two seasons. At VCU, she was responsible for recruiting, development of post players, scouting and organizing the team’s preseason and summer conditioning workouts. In her two years, Ngongba helped land one of Rams’ head coach Beth Cunningham’s best recruiting classes, which included 2006 Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year Quanitra Hollingsworth. In 2003-04, Ngongba helped guide VCU to a 10-8 conference record and an upset of third-seeded Hofstra in the CAA Tournament.
Ngongba spent the 2001-02 season as an assistant on Bob Foley’s staff at Atlantic 10 rival University of Richmond. She helped the Spiders to an 8-8 mark and a second-place tie in the West Division in the program’s inaugural A-10 season. Ngongba tutored Third-Team All-Atlantic 10 center Ebony Tanner and All-Rookie Team forward Kate Flavin, both of whom went on to earn all-conference honors following Ngongba’s hire at VCU.
Before arriving at Richmond, Ngongba was a member of the coaching staff that helped the U.S. Virgin Islands Women’s Junior National Team to a gold medal in the 2001 Caricom Junior Basketball Championships in Nassau, Bahamas. Aside from her role as assistant coach for the Junior National Team, Ngongba also served as team captain for the U.S. Virgin Islands Women’s Senior National Team.
The most prolific scorer in GW women’s basketball history, Ngongba tallied a school-record 2,134 points during her four-year career and is the only Colonial to eclipse the 2,000 career-point mark. Ngongba was named a Kodak First-Team All-American as a senior in 1997, leading the Colonials to a 28-6 record and the East Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament.
She was named to the 1997 East Regional All-Tournament Team after GW defeated No. 4 North Carolina to advance to the Elite Eight. Ngongba was also a Kodak Honorable Mention All-American and a Basketball Times Honorable Mention All-America selection as a junior in 1996. Ngongba earned the 1997 Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year Award and was the conference’s Rookie of the Year in 1994. She was a unanimous first-team all-league selection in 1996 and 1997 and earned second-team all-conference honors in 1995. Ngongba was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team in 1997 and was the tournament’s MVP in 1996 when GW claimed the A-10 crown.
In addition to her school-record 2,134 points, Ngongba holds the school mark for the most points in one season (675 in 1996-97) and is tied with former GW assistant coach Lisa Cermignano for the most games played (130). She ranks second at GW in career scoring average (16.4 points per game), rebounds (970) and blocked shots (326).
After graduating in 1997, Ngongba was drafted as the seventh pick in the fourth round of the inaugural WNBA draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. Ngongba spent the 1997 season with the Monarchs before joining the Detroit Shock for the 1998 campaign. Ngongba traveled to Nice, France, to play with Nice Cavigal for the 1998-99 season before joining McKeown’s staff at GW in October 1999, as an administrative assistant.
A native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Ngongba became the sixth player and the seventh individual with ties to the women’s basketball program to be inducted into the GW Athletics Hall of Fame on January 24, 2004.
She married former GW men’s basketball player Patrick Ngongba in 2003 and the couple has a daughter, Naja, and son, Patrick II.
Coaching Experience
2001
Assistant Coach, U.S. Virgin Islands Junior National Team
2001-02
Assistant Coach, Richmond
2002-04
Assistant Coach, Virginia Commonwealth
2004-08
Assistant Coach, George Washington
2011 & 2012
Head Coach, U.S. Virgin Islands Senior National Team
2008-Current
Head Coach, Radford
Playing Experience
1994-1997
George Washington
1997
Sacramento Monarchs
1998
Detroit Shock
1998-99
Nice Cavigal
2001 & 2003
U.S. Virgin Islands Women's Senior National Team
