RICHMOND, Va. -- Tierra Terry is excited to return home.
“One, I love the CIAA,” stated Terry. “That was my biggest drive. I enjoyed every minute of the CIAA. I loved the other conferences that I’ve been in but the environment I’ll never forget.”
A four-year member at Winston Salem State and where she began her coaching career as an assistant, Terry was introduced as the ninth head women’s basketball coach in Virginia Union history Thursday morning.
“Virginia Union has gained national recognition at this point so people are appealed to it,” said Terry. “Just the tradition of winning and I want to be a part of it.”
The new women's basketball Coach at @VUUPanthers...Tierra Terry. She spent the last three seasons as an assistant with @WMTribeWBB.@CBS6 pic.twitter.com/BVhKBeF1aI
— Sean Robertson (@CBS6SportsSean) June 18, 2020
Terry spent the last three years as an assistant on William & Mary’s women team. Last season, the Tribe sets single-season school records for most wins with 21 and most conference wins with 12. But having an opportunity to return to the CIAA for her first head coaching job was too special to pass up.
“It makes it so special,” Terry mentioned. “I started in the CIAA as an assistant. I had many goals and dreams throughout my process and to see those come full circle as me being the Head Coach in the CIAA is almost unimaginable.”
Terry has the challenge of replacing AnnMarie Gilbert, who left VUU after five seasons to become the Head Coach at Detroit Mercy. Gilbert led the Lady Panthers to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances and three CIAA conference titles in 2016, 2018, and 2019.
“I put pressure on myself in any situation,” Terry explained. “I want to be the best I can be. But I’m looking forward to creating a new legacy. I really respect what she did here. But I am really looking forward to creating something new.”
“I think her wealth of knowledge of the game, being in the game for so long, having her father as a great AAU Coach and coaching and playing I think her background just catapulted her over the other candidates,” stated VUU Athletic Director Felicia Johnson. “We never want to go down. We’re trying to win more championships. We want more banners, we want a National Championship so we all have to take that into consideration and making sure that we hire the correct person to lead our young ladies into becoming better women and better citizens.”
