Tamara Tatham to play professional ball

Women's basketball
Domenic Poli

Recent UMass graduate and women’s basketball player Tamara Tatham is going pro, having signed a contract with a professional team in Finland.

A few months after earning her bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, the four-year starter signed on to play with the Catz, of the Finnish League. Tatham will debut when the team plays its first game on Oct. 6. The Finnish League has a 36-game regular season schedule before the playoffs.

Tatham is slotted to be a wing player but will also move to the center position, for the Catz, who finished second in the Finnish League last year.

Tatham will meet with up with the squad once she completes her duties with the Canadian National Team. Her native country is trying to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijina, China.

"I hope she makes it for the first match, although it might take a little while for her to get the same rhythm with the team," Catz Head Coach Tommi Koskinen said. "There are 36 matches before the playoffs, so I think she'll be fine. We weren't the only ones who were interested in her as there was a little competition going on. I'm glad we won. Tatham has a two-week trial period, but from what I've heard I don't think we'll be having any problems with her, I've heard only good things and look forward to having her help us contend for a title."

The Catz play in Lappeenranta, a city in southeast Finland, about 136 miles from Helsinki and just over 25 miles from the Russian border.

Tatham was the first recruit of UMass coach Marnie Dacko. She averaged 10.3 points per game and collected 226 assists, 190 steals and 60 blocks in 115 games as a Minutewoman. She also grabbed 754 rebounds – an average of 6.6 a game.

During her senior season, the Brampton, Ontario, native became the 15th player in UMass history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau and wound up eighth in scoring. She also finished fifth in school history in both steals and rebounds.

As a member of the Maroon and White, Tatham shot 46 percent from the field and 63 percent from the free throw line.