Coming off one of the best seasons in the history of the program, Newport News native Lanica Williams-Tallon has a firm foundation in place for the Lady Builders entering her sixth year as head coach.

She started coaching at Lenoir-Rhyne immediately following her playing career for two seasons. While at her alma mater, she recruited and coached five All-South Atlantic Conference players. Williams-Tallon served as Academics and Recruiting Coordinator along with working with the L-R guards.

Last year, the Lady Builders topped the school record best start as they won their first ten games before losing to NCAA Division II Mount Olive College.  The team set a school record with 23 regular season wins finishing 23-4 and a berth to the USCAA Nationals.

In year four, the Lady Builders opened the season with seven straight wins to start the year and finished with a record of 18-9 and took seventh place at the USCAA Nationals.  They scored wins over NCAA Division III Salisbury University and Goucher College to highlight the opening run.

In her third year, the Lady Builders struggle with key injuries but scored impressive wins over NAIA Division I Voorhees College, USCAA National Tournament participants St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, Penn State Fayette and split with USCAA rival Southern Virginia University.

In her second season, the Lady Builders earned the third-seed in the USCAA National Championships and finished the season with a 17-13 record. After a tough December schedule that saw them face six NCAA Division II scholarship opponents in a row, the Lady Builders responded in January winning eight in a row and 11 out of 12 to earn the first-round bye at nationals.

In her first season at The Apprentice School, she coached one USCAA All-American and one All-Academic Team selection. The Lady Builders took second in the Great Ships Tipoff, Ed Hockenbury Tournament at Norwich (Vt.) University and defeated USCAA rival Southern Virginia on the road for the first time since 2002-03.

She has coached two USCAA All-Americans, five honorable mention USCAA All-Americans and one USCAA All-Academic selection in her Lady Builder coaching career.

Williams-Tallon was a three-year starter for the Bears after transferring from Alabama A&M University. She was a key cog in Lenoir-Rhyne’s first South Atlantic Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Division II Tournament berth in 2002-03, when she averaged 20 points per game in the SAC Tournament. Her college coach at Lenoir-Rhyne was former Apprentice School coach Karen Barefoot.

An outstanding student in college, Williams-Tallon was named to the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and graduated in May of 2006 from Lenoir-Rhyne with a bachelors degree in athletic training.

She and her husband Mike reside in Hampton.

A longtime basketball coach in the Carolinas, Dickran Parunak is in his fifth season with The Apprentice School.  He has been a key member of the staff always scouting opponents as well as potential Lady Builder recruits.

Parunak, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, was an assistant coach in 2007-08 at Division II Coker College in South Carolina which finished 6-20 playing in Conference Carolinas.

Prior to Coker, he coached the UNC Women’s Basketball Club team for four years. In that time his team won one regular-season title, finishing as regular season runner up twice and tournament runner up twice. He also has served as a clinician at Sylvia Hatchell Women’s Basketball Camp for the last nine years.

He is responsible for the development of post players along with scouting, recruiting and academics.

A former women’s basketball player at NCAA Division II Clark Atlanta University, Wright starts her collegiate coaching career this year by joining the Lady Builders staff.

She attended Bethel High School and graduated from Peninsula Catholic where she was a member of the track and basketball teams along with being a cheerleader. 

Wright began her coaching career as the junior varsity coach at Hampton Christian High School in 2010 and then went to Menchville High School where she was the head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant in 2011-12.  She works in Supply Chain Management for NNSB-Newport News.

Wright will be working with the guards and responsible for back court development .