Coaching Honors & Awards
- 2026 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Semifinalist
- 2025-26 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
- 3x3 Olympic Bronze Medalist - Team USA Assistant Coach
- 3x3 World Championship Gold Medal Winner - Team USA Assistant Coach
- 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
- ESPNW National Coach of the Week (Feb. 6, 2023)
- 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
- ESPNW National Coach of the Week (Feb. 14, 2022)
Rhode Island women’s basketball head coach Tammi Reiss has rewritten the Rhode Island record book in her seven seasons leading the Rams. Now the all-time winningest head coach in program history, she guided Rhody to a program-best 28 wins and its first Atlantic 10 Tournament title in 2025-26. The Rams made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years under Reiss, who was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the third time in her seven seasons at the helm.
Reiss is the first coach in program history to produce three straight 20-win seasons and the only one to lead the Rams on a postseason run, advancing to the 2023 WNIT Super 16 with the program’s first two postseason victories.Â
Under her leadership, Rhode Island has earned national attention, receiving votes in the AP Top 25 for nine straight weeks during the 2025-26 season.
Reiss, a two-time ESPNW National Coach of the Week, has also delivered consistent league success, securing Rhody’s sixth straight winning A-10 season in 2025-26. 18 Rams have earned All-Conference honors during her tenure and 11 have signed professional contracts overseas. URI has collected major conference awards, including Emmanuelle Tahane as the A-10 Co-Player of the Year and Mayé Touré as Most Improved Player. Most recently, true freshman Vanessa Harris was named the program's first Sixth Woman of the Year.
Reiss quickly elevated the program upon her arrival in 2019-20, delivering a Ryan Center-record 10 home wins that season and doubling the previous year’s conference victory total.Â
Before Rhode Island, Reiss built a strong reputation as a recruiter and developer of talent during four seasons at Syracuse, where she helped the Orange to three NCAA second-round appearances and mentored WBCA All-Americans Alexis Peterson, Brittney Sykes and Tiana Mangakahia. Syracuse made four straight NCAA Tournaments during her tenure, including a run to the 2016 national championship game.
Her coaching path also includes stints at Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State, and in the WNBA with the San Antonio Silver Stars and Utah Starzz.Â
A former All-American at Virginia, Reiss led the Cavaliers to three Final Four appearances and finished her career among the program’s all-time leaders in scoring, 3-point shooting and free throws. She was selected fifth overall in the 1997 WNBA Draft by Utah, where she played two seasons and served as captain.Â
Reiss has also appeared in film and television, including roles in Juwanna Mann, Double Teamed, and Sister, Sister.
