Former Titan assistant coach Tara Fleming is entering her fourth season as an analyst on the Detroit Mercy women's basketball broadcast.
She has also served as an analyst for the MHSAA boy's and girls state finals.
Fleming was an assistant coach from 2015-18, helping the Titans reach the 2017 Horizon League Championship game.
She worked hands-on with the Titan post players, including the 2015-16 Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year Brianne Cohen, who led the Titans and was sixth in the conference in scoring at 15.6 points per game. Cohen had the largest scoring jump (12.1 points) from one year to the next in program history.
Under Fleming's tutelage, Cohen was Second Team All-Horizon League in 2016-17 and led the conference while ranking 12th in the NCAA in field goal percenage (60.1). She mentored another post player, Haleigh Ristovski, who ranked ninth in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (8.2) as a junior before finishing No. 6 in the country in defensive rebounding (7.6) as a senior.
Detroit Mercy went 9-0 in league home games in 2016-17 en route to a 12-6 HL mark and 18-14 overall record. The Titans topped nationally-ranked Green Bay during the regular season and defeated Cleveland State and Wright State in the Horizon League Championship to reach the title game.
For the second-straight season, Detroit Mercy broke the school record for 3-pointers made in a season (259), while setting new school marks for defensive rebounds (943) and defensive rebounds per game (29.4). Detroit Mercy ranked No. 9 in the NCAA in defensive rebounding and had their most blocks since the 1996-97 season with 130 rejections.
Fleming helped coach the Titans to a 15-15 record in 2015-16, including an 11-7 mark in the Horizon League. It was the most league wins since the 2011-12 season and the most overall wins since the 2012-13 campaign. The Titans finished fourth in the HL regular-season standings, playing nearly the entire season with just eight players. Detroit Mercy secured a school-record 7-2 mark in conference road contests and didn't drop back-to-back games in Horizon League play.
As a team, the Titans set school records in 3-pointers made and free-throw percentage, while totaling its most blocks (106) since the 2006-07 season. Detroit Mercy also led the Horizon League in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage during league contests.
Rosanna Reynolds, who was inked to a professional contract in Scotland, wrapped up her Titan career with two First Team All-Horizon League accolades, while Cohen was selected Second Team All-Conference in 2016-17. Freshman Anja Marinkovic was voted to the HL All-Freshman Team. In the classroom, Detroit Mercy held a 3.23 GPA with nine of 13 players sporting a 3.0 GPA or better.
The Titans didn't just get it done on the court, but also away from it as the squad was active in the community again and nine of 13 players earned their way onto the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for sporting a 3.0 GPA or better. Overall, the squad had a 3.23 GPA in 2016-17.
Fleming is no stranger to the Jesuit academic background as well as the Horizon League playing at Youngstown State and coaching at Canisius.
Fleming spent nine seasons (2006-15) on the sidelines for the Golden Griffins, helping the program to seven MAAC Championship quarterfinals appearances and a run to the title game.
She was the second-longest tenured assistant coach in the MAAC and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator, while working with the development of the post players. She also helped run the day-to-day operations of the women's basketball program.
During her nine seasons, Canisius set the school’s Division I record for wins with 24 in 2008-09, advancing to the MAAC Championship game and earning a bid to the WNIT. She also helped the Golden Griffins capture 20 MAAC athletic honors and accolades and 39 Academic All-League selections.
Prior to her stop in upstate New York, she was a student assistant at her alma mater, Youngstown State, during the 2005-06 season. At YSU, she coordinated film exchange, assisted with team travel, meal arrangements, and opponent scouting as well as organizing recruiting mailings.
Fleming played in 107 career games for YSU from 2001-05 and ended her career ranked second all-time in school history with 125 blocked shots.
