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Oct. 22, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Tara McKnight (Bluffton, S.C.) has earned a spot on the University of Virginia women’s basketball team after an open tryout, head coach Debbie Ryan announced on Friday.
“Tara made the team on Sunday,” Ryan said. “She’s a second-year player who tried out for the team last year. When she came out this year, she was vastly improved. Tara’s a very good shooter. She will bring good leadership. She’s a great person for our program. Tara is someone who exudes all the great qualities and characteristics of a Virginia basketball player. She has a great work ethic.”
The 5-5 guard was a four-year letterwinner at Hilton Head Prep for head coach Bob Sulek. As a senior, she averaged 16.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. The three-time team captain was an All-State honoree. As a junior, she scored the 1,000th point of her prep career. McKnight also played AAU basketball for the Low Country Round Ballers where she was a state all-tournament team member. The Round Ballers captured the South Carolina state championship in 2001.
Her father, Tom McKnight, played golf at UVa from 1973-76.
Virginia women’s basketball opens the 2004-05 campaign against Arizona State at Louisiana State’s Tournament on Nov. 11.