Coaches

Teresa Atkinson, Head Coach

Teresa Atkinson, the second-longest tenured coach in the Panhandle Conference, is entering her 15th season as head coach of the Tallahassee Community College Lady Eagles. The only coach with a longer tenure in the PC is Gulf Coast State College’s Roonie Scovel.

The Lady Eagles were still a relatively new program — only three years old — when Tallahassee gave Atkinson her first head coaching position in 1997. Although young, the program Atkinson inherited had already enjoyed tremendous success and was coming off a PC championship season the year before. Taking the reigns from Jan Piatnik, Atkinson has since continued the Lady Eagles’ winning tradition. Following a 13-12 record in 2010-11, Atkinson's overall record stands at 241-173, an average of 17.2 wins per season.

Atkinson’s resume includes six appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VIII/Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Tournament (1999, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2010), five 20-win seasons (1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2006-07, 2009-10) — including a single-season record 28 victories in 2000-01 — and three consecutive appearances in the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship Game (1999-01). As good as her teams have been during the regular season, Atkinson’s squads have been even better in postseason play. In five trips to March Madness, Atkinson and the Lady Eagles have accumulated a record of 13-7.

Atkinson’s most memorable season to date took place in 2000-01. A 67-60 win over Atlanta Metro College on December 16, 2000, was career win No. 65, moving her past Piatnik as the school’s all-time winningest women’s basketball coach. Later that season, she guided Tallahassee to a third straight appearance in the NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA Championship Game. After falling to PC rival Gulf Coast State in the two previous championship tilts, Atkinson and the Lady Eagles finally captured the elusive state title, defeating Daytona State College, 76-67, on March 10, 2001.

The victory over Daytona State punched the Lady Eagles’ ticket to their first NJCAA Tournament appearance in Salina, Kan., where they continued to set the benchmark for future teams at Tallahassee. The Lady Eagles defeated the nation’s number one team and the tournament’s top seed, Tyler (Texas) Junior College, on their way to an appearance in the NJCAA Final Four. Tallahassee fell to eventual champion Cloud County (Kan.) Community College in the National Semifinals but brought home a third-place finish in the 16-team field when it defeated Eastern Oklahoma State College, Atkinson’s alma mater, in the consolation game to finish the season with a record of 28-8. Atkinson capped off the year by being named FCSAA and NJCAA District VIII Coach of the Year.

Atkinson reached another milestone the following season, picking up career win No. 100 on February 23, 2002, in a 52-50 victory over Pensacola State College. She picked up career win No. 150 on November 6, 2005, against Clinton (S.C.) Junior College.

During a five-day span late in the 2007-08 campaign, Atkinson coached the Lady Eagles to a pair of milestone victories. On February 9, 2008, she picked up career win No. 200 when Tallahassee defeated arch-rival Chipola College, 59-57, in overtime. Four days later, she guided the Lady Eagles to one of the biggest wins in school history—a 79-72 triumph over then-No. 1 and previously undefeated Gulf Coast State, Tallahassee’s first-ever victory in Panama City. The upset victory turned out to be the only blemish on the Lady Commodores’ record en route to the National Championship.

The winning ways have also been a staple off the court during the Atkinson era. More than 30 of her former players have continued their education and athletic careers at four-year schools. Additionally, her 2001-02 squad achieved a 100-percent graduation rate, and two of her players have been named NJCAA Academic All-Americans (Twanisha Gordon, 2007; and Angelee Latouche, 2008).

Additionally, 66 of Atkinson's players have received All-Panhandle Conference honors, including 25 first-team recipients, while four have been named All-NJCAA Region VIII/FCSAA. Atkinson has also coached a pair of NJCAA All-Americans: Tamilla Murray (Honorable Mention, 1999) and Shamar Harris (Second-team, 2008), who also claimed Panhandle Conference Player of the Year honors in 2008. To date, two of Atkinson’s former players, EdMarie Lumbsley (2002) and Syreeta Bromfield (2003), have been selected in the WNBA Draft.

A product of the junior college system herself, it was at Eastern Oklahoma State College where Atkinson first made a name for herself in the athletic arena. While a member of the Lady Mountaineers, she was a two-time NJCAA All-American in both basketball and track. While there, she missed qualifying for the 110-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by two-tenths of a second.

Florida International University was Atkinson’s next stop and, once again, she was a standout athlete, playing basketball for the Golden Panthers. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from FIU in 1988, the University provided Atkinson with her first coaching opportunity. In 1987-88, she served as an assistant coach for the Golden Panthers.

Atkinson spent one season playing professional and semi-professional basketball in Europe and the United States, respectively. Immediately prior to her arrival in Tallahassee, she spent two seasons at Florida Atlantic University, where she served as an assistant coach for the Lady Owls.

Atkinson’s international playing experience has enabled her to successfully recruit players from abroad. During her tenure with the Lady Eagles, she has signed players from the Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Nigeria, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago and the Virgin Islands. Further solidifying her reputation as one of the state’s top recruiters, Atkinson has successfully recruited top high school athletes from the talent-rich Big Bend.

During her tenure at Tallahassee, Atkinson, who is an active member of the Black Coaches Association (BCA), the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association, created the Women’s Athletic Mentor Program (WAMP), which pairs each member of the Lady Eagles with a member of TCC’s faculty and staff. The Lady Eagles have also been active in a number of community service opportunities.

She has one son, Malik Hosea, who turns 14 in February.

T.J. Royals, Assistant Coach

T.J. Royals, a native of Atlanta, Ga., is entering his fifth year on the Lady Eagles’ coaching staff. He is involved in all aspects of the program, including recruiting and advance scouting.

Royals, whose given name is Terrance Jai, is no stranger to the game of basketball.

Upon graduating from McNair High School, where he earned a varsity letter on the hardwood for the Mustangs, Royals embarked on a career in coaching. His coaching ledger includes stops at both the high school and collegiate levels.

His first coaching stop was as a student assistant for the women’s basketball team at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Ga., a post which he held from 2004-06. He followed that with a brief stint (2006-07) as an assistant coach for the girl’s team at Monsignor Pace High School in Miami.

In addition to coaching, Royals has significant experience in the area of basketball administration. He has coordinated various camps and tournaments for Essence Girls Basketball, Inc., in Tallahassee, Fla. Additionally, he has served as a Game Management Assistant for Roundball, Inc., also based in Tallahassee. He has also coordinated and conducted fundamental campus for high school student-athletes.

Royals is currently working on his associate's degree at Tallahassee Community College. Upon graduating from TCC, he will enroll at Florida State University and pursue a degree in sports management.

Lamar Hamilton, Assistant Coach

Lamar Hamilton is entering his first season as an assistant on Teresa Atkinson's coaching staff.