Head coach Matt Ruffing adds impressive names to staff

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville Interim Head Women’s Basketball Coach Matt Ruffing has announced the hiring of assistant coaches Bailey Harmon and Omega Tandy, effective immediately.

“We are very excited to add Bailey and Omega to our staff, the athletic department and this university.  Both had successful playing careers and will be great mentors for our players,” Ruffing commented.  “Their coaching experience will be an asset on the court and on the recruiting trail as we search for young women of outstanding character, competitive drive, and those that have the desire to be the very best.  I am excited to get both of them in town and working for our program.”

Harmon comes to UE after spending a total of four years with the women’s basketball program at Western Illinois, three of those seasons as an assistant coach for the Leathernecks.  She helped the program advance to the Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2016 where they won the first postseason game in its history.  It was also the first postseason appearance for WIU in ten years.

She coached eight All-League selections in her time at WIU, including Ashley Luke, who was the 2014-15 Summit League Player of the Year.  Luke was also the COSIDA Academic All-America of the Year.

A native of Independence, Mo., Harmon played college ball at Illinois-Springfield, serving as the captain in her junior and senior seasons.  She remains in the record books for making the most 3-point field goals in a season.  Prior to her time at UIS, she played at Cottey College, a NJCAA program in Nevada, Mo. where she was First Team All-Region and an NJCAA Academic All-American.  The 2012 graduate of UIS earned her degree in Mathematics and completed her master’s degree in Sport Management at WIU in 2014.  Harmon and her husband, Chad Harmon, were married in May of 2015 and have a dog, Hooper.

“I’m honored and blessed to have an opportunity to work with Coach Ruffing and his wonderful staff,” Harmon said.  “There are a lot of positive things happening at UE. Evansville is a one of a kind place with a great tradition and I can’t thank Coach Ruffing enough for believing in me and giving me a chance to help him build a successful program on and off the court. Aces Aces!!”

As a player, Tandy played for both Duquesne and Cleveland State.  With the Vikings, she earned the captaincy and led the team in scoring.  She left CSU ranking among the best in school history in minutes played and three-point percentage.

Following her college career, Tandy began coaching AAU in the Indianapolis area for eight seasons, assisting in several student-athletes advancing their careers to the collegiate level.

In 2008-09, she served as an assistant coach for Hall of Famer Stan Benge at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.  The squad won the state and national championship on their way to a perfect 30-0 mark.  Last year, Tandy was the head coach at Hamilton Heights HS in Arcadia, Ind. and helped the squad to an impressive turnaround as she implemented a culture changes.

The 2006 CSU graduate earned a degree in sociology and worked in child abuse and neglect prevention/preservation.  Tandy is married to George Tandy IV, who played for the men’s basketball squad at Cleveland State and had a professional career in Germany.  The couple has two daughters – Aven Rae (5) and Grace (4).

“My family and I thank God and Coach Ruffing for the opportunity to join the Purple Aces family.  The University of Evansville’s mission of developing students’ skills and wisdom to lead and serve parallel my purpose as a wife, mother and coach,” Tandy explained.  “I believe in Coach Ruffing’s vision for academic excellence, accountability, pride and building self confidence in the student-athletes we serve.  I look forward to learning under his tutelage and further developing myself as a coach.”