Tammy Holder, former coach of teh Seattle Reign of the now-defunct American Basketball League, has been named head coach at Cal State Northridge, Dick Dull, the school's athletic director, announced on April 2.

Holder, most recently an assistant coach at South Carolina during the 1999-2000 season, will take over for interim coaches Paula Nirschl-Montgomery and Ken Turner, who were named as co-head coaches following the resignation of Frozena Jerro on Dec. 8. Both Nirschl-Montgomery and Turner have returned to their posts as assistant coaches.

"(Holder) brings to this position success as a coach in the sport of basketball at two different Division I programs and at the professional level," Dull said. "She is committed to this institution and I am convinced that her experience in the coaching profession will serve us well in guiding this program back to its winning ways."

Holder comes to the Matadors with 19 years of coaching experience in the collegiate and professional ranks, including two years with the Seattle Reign. Taking over midseason, Holder helped the Reign rebound from an 0-6 start to finish 9-14. Holder and the Reign posted an 8-7 mark during the 1998-99 season before the ABL folded. Prior to her coaching stint in Seattle, Holder was the general manager of the Richmond Rage during the 1996-97 season.

Holder, 43, earned her first collegiate head coaching position in 1988, when she became the head coach at Division II South Carolina-Spartanburg. During her three years at Spartanburg, Holder achieved a record of 50-33 and was named Peach Belt Coach of the Year after the 1990-91 season.

"Anyone that has been a coach for as long as I have knows that coaching is in your blood and it will always be in you," Holder said. "Getting an opportunity to get back into coaching is a real thrill for me. I was fortunate to find out about Northridge and this job before it was too late.

"On my visit here, I found that there is a great opportunity at Northridge. A good opportunity because of the conference that it is in, but also because I liked the fact that everyone I talked to on this campus during my visit was positive and believed in this program and the potential that it has."

In 1991, Holder was named coach at Richmond. In five years, Holder amassed a record of 71-67 and a second-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association in 1992.

Holder began her coaching career as an assistant at Richmond from 1980-84. Following four years with the Spiders, Holder was an assistant at South Carolina for four seasons. During her stay at South Carolina, the Gamecocks won two Metro Conference Championships, advancing to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.