One of the most accomplished WNBA players in history, Tangela Smith enters her eighth season with the Northwestern University women's basketball program in 2025-26. Smith, the No. 12 overall pick by the Sacramento Monarchs in the 1998 WNBA Draft, joined the 'Cats as an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 campaign before being elevated to associate head coach in September of 2022.
"Tangela's incredible success at every level of basketball speaks for itself," Northwestern head women's basketball coach Joe McKeown said. "Each day she brings the same passion for teaching the game that she had for dominating on the court. Over the last several seasons, she has developed post players who were central to a Big Ten Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and her wisdom and leadership are critical to our program's continued ascent as a perennial title contender."
Smith’s primary responsibilities for the Wildcats is post player development as well as the overall skill development of the team. In her first season with the Wildcats, she helped to develop the post play of Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah who went on to play professionally in Italy. Kunaiyi-Akpanah also represented her home country, Nigeria, in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic games, as well as winning the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket with the Nigerian National Team in 2021.
Smith's work was also evident with the development of the pairing of Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf during the 2019-20 campaign as Northwestern claimed the program's second Big Ten Conference regular season title. Scheid collected First Team All-Big Ten accolades following a season in which in she shot a blistering 47.7 percent from three-point range, a mark that led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally in Division I. Wolf, an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick, operated at a team-best 52.7 percent clip from the field and ranked sixth on the league leaderboard in both blocks and offensive rebounds.
Smith, who cut her teeth in the coaching ranks at Western Michigan Univeristy (2014-18), enjoyed an outstanding professional career that saw her play for the aforementioned Sacramento Monarchs, Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever, and San Antonio Silver Stars. The Chicago, Ill. native became only the seventh play in WNBA history to surpass 4,000 points during her 15-year career. Smith captured two WNBA Championships (2007, 2009) during her stint with the Mercury, and was selected to the WNBA All-Star Game in 2006 as a member of the Sting. She retired from the WNBA following the 2012 season, ranking in the top-10 all-time across multiple categories, including points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes played.
Smith, who also won championships in Turkey, China, and South Korea playing overseas, became the WNBA's all-time leader in games played (411) during the 2010 season. Her 463 career appearances currently rank 10th all-time in league annals.
During a standout playing career at the University of Iowa (1994-98), Smith tallied 1,598 points, 859 rebounds, and 235 blocked shots en route to winning a pair of Big Ten Conference regular season championships (1996, 1998) and a Big Ten Tournament title in 1997. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection (1996, 1998), Smith was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player following a senior campaign that saw her average 19.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked shots. She finished her collegiate career ranked first in school history in blocks, third in rebounds, and seventh in scoring. Smith, who won a silver medal as a member of the 1997 USA Basketball Jones Cup squad, was inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Smith attended George Washington High School on Chicago's South Side, where she averaged a triple-double (16 ppg, 12 rpg, 10 bpg) as a junior. She was named a Kodak High School All-American as part of a career with the Lady Patriots that also saw her collect All-America distinction from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and earned a spot in the WBCA High School All-America Game.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in Sports, Health, Leisure, and Physical Studies from the University of Iowa in 1998 before completing her master's in Sports Management at Western Michigan.
"Tangela's incredible success at every level of basketball speaks for itself," Northwestern head women's basketball coach Joe McKeown said. "Each day she brings the same passion for teaching the game that she had for dominating on the court. Over the last several seasons, she has developed post players who were central to a Big Ten Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, and her wisdom and leadership are critical to our program's continued ascent as a perennial title contender."
Smith’s primary responsibilities for the Wildcats is post player development as well as the overall skill development of the team. In her first season with the Wildcats, she helped to develop the post play of Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah who went on to play professionally in Italy. Kunaiyi-Akpanah also represented her home country, Nigeria, in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic games, as well as winning the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket with the Nigerian National Team in 2021.
Smith's work was also evident with the development of the pairing of Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf during the 2019-20 campaign as Northwestern claimed the program's second Big Ten Conference regular season title. Scheid collected First Team All-Big Ten accolades following a season in which in she shot a blistering 47.7 percent from three-point range, a mark that led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally in Division I. Wolf, an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick, operated at a team-best 52.7 percent clip from the field and ranked sixth on the league leaderboard in both blocks and offensive rebounds.
Smith, who cut her teeth in the coaching ranks at Western Michigan Univeristy (2014-18), enjoyed an outstanding professional career that saw her play for the aforementioned Sacramento Monarchs, Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever, and San Antonio Silver Stars. The Chicago, Ill. native became only the seventh play in WNBA history to surpass 4,000 points during her 15-year career. Smith captured two WNBA Championships (2007, 2009) during her stint with the Mercury, and was selected to the WNBA All-Star Game in 2006 as a member of the Sting. She retired from the WNBA following the 2012 season, ranking in the top-10 all-time across multiple categories, including points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes played.
Smith, who also won championships in Turkey, China, and South Korea playing overseas, became the WNBA's all-time leader in games played (411) during the 2010 season. Her 463 career appearances currently rank 10th all-time in league annals.
During a standout playing career at the University of Iowa (1994-98), Smith tallied 1,598 points, 859 rebounds, and 235 blocked shots en route to winning a pair of Big Ten Conference regular season championships (1996, 1998) and a Big Ten Tournament title in 1997. A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection (1996, 1998), Smith was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player following a senior campaign that saw her average 19.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked shots. She finished her collegiate career ranked first in school history in blocks, third in rebounds, and seventh in scoring. Smith, who won a silver medal as a member of the 1997 USA Basketball Jones Cup squad, was inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
Smith attended George Washington High School on Chicago's South Side, where she averaged a triple-double (16 ppg, 12 rpg, 10 bpg) as a junior. She was named a Kodak High School All-American as part of a career with the Lady Patriots that also saw her collect All-America distinction from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and earned a spot in the WBCA High School All-America Game.
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in Sports, Health, Leisure, and Physical Studies from the University of Iowa in 1998 before completing her master's in Sports Management at Western Michigan.