Tapr’e Young enters her second season as the head coach of the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s basketball program in 2026-27 after completing her first season at the helm of the Pomeroys in 2025-26.
Young was elevated to the role after serving as an assistant coach for SMWC during the 2024-25 campaign, where she was instrumental in one of the program’s strongest seasons in recent history. She was announced as the program’s new leader by Associate Vice President for Athletics Kevin Lanke in October 2025, succeeding Terry Bowe, who guided the Pomeroys for three successful seasons.
“Tapr’e was an instrumental part of a successful 2024-25 season on the court, but more importantly, is strongly committed to helping lead our student-athletes into successful and impactful lives off the court,” Lanke said at the time of her hire. “She will build on the foundation of excellence and lead SMWC women’s basketball into a bright future.”
Coaching Career at SMWC
Young completed her first season as head coach during the 2025-26 campaign, continuing to build the foundation of the SMWC women’s basketball program through player development, academic support and culture-building.
Prior to being named head coach, Young served as an assistant coach for the Pomeroys in 2024-25. That season, she helped guide SMWC to 17 victories, including five over teams that advanced to the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament. She played a key role in game-planning and in-game adjustments, highlighted by a signature River States Conference win over perennial power Rio Grande (Ohio).
SMWC saw multiple players earn postseason recognition during Young’s time on staff. Madison Fueger, Brooklynn Jones, Irye Gomez and Destiny Thomas all received All-River States Conference honors and were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. Jones became the newest member of the 1,000 Point Club, while Abby Worley set the program record for career assists.
Previous Coaching Experience
Before joining SMWC, Young spent two seasons from 2020-22 as an assistant coach at Danville Area Community College. She was responsible for recruiting, player development and academic support. During her tenure, DACC achieved 100 percent placement of student-athletes into four-year universities across NCAA Divisions I-III and the NAIA.
Highlights of her time at DACC include coaching Dy’Jhanik Armfield, the 15th-ranked NJCAA DII player nationally, and mentoring Alexis Mobley, an All-American nominee in 2021-22. Young also helped the program capture its first-ever Regional Championship and National Tournament appearance, finishing the year ranked No. 8 in the country.
She contributed to a historic win over No. 5 Parkland College in the Regional Tournament, helping DACC advance to the semifinals for the first time in more than a decade.
From 2015-18, Young served as an assistant coach at Westerville South High School in Ohio. She was part of a coaching staff that delivered an OCC Championship, District Championship and Regional Runner-up finish. She coached two 1,000-point scorers, Sommer Pitzer and Anyssa Jones, and helped every graduating player continue their careers at the collegiate level, with athletes moving on to Ohio State, Akron, Pittsburgh, Indiana State, the U.S. Naval Academy and Marshall.
Young’s coaching career began as a student assistant at Talladega College in 2010-11, where she helped guide the program to a Conference Championship, an NAIA National Tournament appearance and a run to the National Championship.
Playing Career
A perennial sharpshooter, Young played semi-professional basketball in the WBCBL for four seasons, helping her team achieve a No. 1 national ranking twice while consistently ranking among the nation’s top 3-point shooters.
Young played collegiately at Salem International University from 2006-08, earning First Team All-Conference honors. She ranked among the top 10 in 3-point shooting percentage in the conference and was nationally ranked in 3-point percentage. She also helped Salem reach the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history.
Young began her collegiate career at Muskingum College during the 2004-05 season before transferring to Salem International.
Building the Future of SMWC Women’s Basketball
Known for her passion for player development, academic support and culture-building, Young brings more than a decade of experience across the high school, junior college, NAIA and semi-professional levels to the Pomeroys. As she enters her second season leading SMWC, Young continues to build the program’s future in the River States Conference and NAIA competition.
