Tiffany Sardin said Friday she will build on the success of the 2023-24 PC women’s basketball team in making the NCAA Division I National Championship Tournament.
The Blue Hose won 8 of their last 10 games to qualify, and win, a First Four game at the Colonial Life Arena and the Big South Tournament. Their season ended at the hands of the University of South Carolina, the National Champion. The school Sardin is coming from, St. Louis University, also was a conference tournament champion and national tournament qualifier. Sardin also has coaching experience from Longwood University in the Big South, where PC was tournament champ.
She was introduced by Dee Nichols, Presbyterian College Athletics Director, to replace Alaura Sharp, moving to the women’s head coaching job at Appalachian State after 6 seasons in Clinton.
Nichols gave Sardin a traditional gift, a PC pin, and a non-traditional gift, a silver Scottish warrior’s sword.
“We have a lot of these around campus,” Nichols said.
Sardin responded, “I’ve never held a sword,” as she held it close. Several Blue Hose players in the audience were hoping it doesn’t become a running-suicides-enforcement tool.
Sardin said “it’s the people” that attracted her to South Carolina and the Big South. “You’re going to see a tough team. We’re going to get after it. Some exciting basketball. We certainly want to score more points, get more points on the scoreboard. And just a high pressure, fun style of basketball that you can expect out of us.”
With a coaching career spanning 10 years across seven different schools, Sardin boasts an impressive track record that includes two conference tournament championship victories and winning a Women’s Basketball Invitational Title.
She has directed 10 different All-Conference players within five different leagues, including four First Team selections and one Freshman of the Year. Most recently at SLU in the 2022-23 season, she served as Associate Head Coach for a team that captured the A-10 Tourney Title.
Sardin’s assistantship at Longwood University (2019-20) also provided her with valuable insights and a strong foundation of knowledge about the Big South Conference.
Sardin went to school at the University of Virginia from 2002-2006 where she saw victory in 71 games including back-to-back 20-win seasons. She also earned a multitude of achievements during her time competing with the Cavaliers.
Sardin assumes the head coaching position at PC following a successful season at Saint Louis University, where she served as the associate head coach. Her leadership was instrumental in guiding the team to the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament Championship behind a 10-6 conference record, the program’s best since the 2016-17 season.
During her tenure at SLU, she led the Billikens to their first-ever victory in the A-10 championship game, where they triumphed over UMass in an overtime battle, securing a 91-85 win. This postseason victory gave the team their first-ever automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Under Coach Sardin’s guidance at Saint Louis, three players earned notable A-10 All-Conference honors. Brooke Flowers stood out as an All-Second Team member and an All-Defensive player. Kyla McMakin, previously under Sardin’s tutelage at Longwood, made the conference’s All-Second Team. Additionally, Julia Martinez’s defensive skills earned her recognition as an A-10 All-Defensive player.
Sardin said PC players had “a taste of success” and she believes they want more success. She takes over the PC program at a time when the Women’s College Game is on an upward trend, with the South Carolina - Iowa championship game breaking TV viewership records, and far outpacing the men.
“It’s great momentum just across the board,” Sardin said. “We hope to do our part and continue to elevate that and create that excitement and magic, but again the body of work really speak for itself, and Why not us? As I was sharing with a few women that were around this morning, I was looking up in the office and there were a few trophies in there that are repeat, three-peat trophies and the year that were coming off of I think it can be done and we’re hoping and wishing to add on to that with the right pieces in the program.”
Sardin describes herself as a coach that gives players a lot of freedom and she looks for an up tempo style of play with pressure and an aggressive approach. “You will be able to see who we are, a team that is fun to watch, and we want more people to come and watch.”
More about Coach Sardin here.
