Tamia Ugass is a senior forward for the women’s basketball team and she is prepared to go all out for her last year.
“I want to start the season off right and come in with new energy so we can win,” Ugass said. “We have the pieces to do that especially coming off last season with having our main core back and our new players and staff. We’re implementing new things.”
Ugass is ready to be an impact player for this season and said she wants to be someone her teammates can count on for defense.
“Being that I have been here for a while, I know what Coach Jackson-Durrett wants,” said Ugass. “I want to be the teammate that all of my teammates can rely on.”
Ugass went from playing four games her freshman year to playing 28 games her junior year. When it comes to how she developed, Ugass said she developed a better understanding for the game.
“I have grown as a player, because I see the game differently than when I first started,” said Ugass. “Coach D letting me play when she came allowed me to gain knowledge about the game that I didn’t know about at first, so I have to thank her and the entire staff.”
Ugass has been with Head Coach Jackson-Durrett, or Coach D, since her sophomore year. Jackson-Durrett said she is very excited to see Ugass play in this upcoming season.
“Tamia has come a long way since she first started here. She puts in a lot of time and effort, and she buys into the environment we created here,” said Jackson-Durrett. “When you’re a senior, you have to set the tone, and that’s what she is doing,” said Jackson-Durrett.
Ugass said that the support that she has received from her coach has been a pivotal force for her throughout her college career. In her first year at UMKC, Ugass said she didn’t have much playing time in games–that changed with Jackson-Durrett.
“When Coach D came during my sophomore year, she instilled a great level of confidence in me, on and off the court,” said Ugass. “She embraced me through tough moments, and taught me a lot about the game of basketball.”
The community at UMKC has made her feel welcomed and has meant the world to her, said Ugass.
“When I go to games, I see the same fans, which is a great feeling because they have embraced me as family,” said Ugass. “The community really cares about women’s basketball, and you don’t see that at a lot of schools, so it is nice to have that kind of support.”
Women’s basketball single game and season tickets can be found at this link.
