ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany women's basketball program and head coach Colleen Mullen have announced the return of Tiana-Jo Carter.
 
"After a stand-out career as a Great Dane, we are thrilled to welcome Tiana-Jo back home to UAlbany," said Mullen. "Her understanding of the university along with her unique perspective as a former student-athlete will allow her to build meaningful connections with our players and the campus community. Tiana-Jo will be able to recruit elite talent into our program and will be responsible for the development of our front-line players. Her championship experience and mentality will add to our winning culture."
 
Carter returns to UAlbany after having spent the last six years furthering her education and beginning a career in collegiate coaching. Most recently, she was an assistant coach at Princeton for two years. Assistant with recruiting for the Tigers, Carter helped recruit student-athletes who helped Princeton maintain their spot at the top of the Ivy League. In each of the last six* seasons, the Tigers have won the Ivy League and concluded their season with less than 10 losses. In Carter's first year with the team (2022-23), Princeton earned the 10th seed at the Salt Lake City Regional and won the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Carter got her start in collegiate coaching one year after graduating from UAlbany at USCAA Division II Central Maine Community College. After a year in Maine, she served as the graduate assistant for Bentley University. She coached at the NCAA Division II school while pursuing her master's degree.
 
"I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to return to my alma mater as an assistant coach," said Carter. "I met Colleen when she was hired as the head coach of this program and I have had the privilege to get to know her and this staff over the past six years. It is an honor to now have the opportunity to work alongside them and our exceptional student-athletes. I'm eager to utilize my experiences as a student-athlete here at UAlbany and continue to carry on those traditions as an assistant coach."
 
A former standout at the University at Albany, Carter graduated with and still holds the record in career blocks (154). A highly decorated student-athlete, she graduated top-10 (top-6 in Division I) in program history with 642 career rebounds. The 2016 America East Sixth Player of the Year was a member of three-straight conference championship teams - teams that were on the tail end of six consecutive championships for UAlbany - and one team that earned a First Round upset in the NCAA Tournament - a two-point victory over Florida. 
 
A native of Naples, Maine, Carter graduated from UAlbany with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Rhetoric in 2018 and earned her MBA in Law and Taxation from Bentley University in 2022.
 
*As with all Ivy League teams, Princeton did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
For more information on the University at Albany women's basketball team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanywbb
Instagram & Threads - @ualbanywbb
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyWBB