Joanna Tincher was formally named the ninth head coach in Newberry history in March 2019 after spending the 2018-19 season in an interim capacity.
In a conference-only season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tincher led the Wolves to a 10-10 record and 8-9 in South Atlantic Conference play in 2020-1, earning a No. 7 seed in the conference tournament. There, the Wolves edged Wingate at home in the first round 70-69 before falling to Tusculum in the quarterfinals on the road two days later 59-43. Highlights of the 2020-21 season included regular-season sweeps of Lincoln Memorial and Limestone and winning two of three games against Wingate, both at home.
Tincher saw freshman guard Payton Cronen named to the 2020-21 SAC All-Freshman Team. In her first year in the Scarlet and Gray, Cronen started 14 of the 20 games she played, making 47 of 114 three pointers attempted (41.2%), both second highest on the team in those categories and tied for fourth in the conference. She also finished fifth in the conference in three-point field percentage, with 41.2 percent.
In her first full season as the Newberry coach, Tincher led the Wolves to a 16-12 record and 13-9 in conference play, earning a No. 4 seed in the conference tournament in 2019-20. Newberry earned regular-season sweeps of Mars Hill, Queens and Lincoln Memorial. In addition, the Wolves defeated two Top 10 opponents, No. 10 Anderson at home and No. 8 Catawba on the road.
Tincher saw Kelsey McDermott and Keli Romas make All-SAC Second Team in 2019-20. McDermott produced well in her final season in a scarlet and gray uniform. She averaged career-highs in points, field goal percentage, and three point field goal percentage while starting all 28 games.
McDermott also set a new career-high in steals with 38, which led the team. Twice during the season she scored a career-high 23 points in a game, including the game winning shot against Benedict.
Romas had a great first season with the Wolves in 2019-20. She led the team in multiple categories including points, assists, and minutes, while starting all 28 games. Romas was second on the team in made field goals, steals and blocks.
Her 84.3% from the charity stripe was fourth best in the conference while her 33.7 minutes per game was the fifth highest average in the South Atlantic Conference. Romas was the only player on the team to score 30 points this season, in a triple overtime game with Limestone.
Tincher served in an interim capacity for the 2018-19 season following the resignation of former head coach Sean Page in August. She led the Wolves to a 16-12 record with 10 South Atlantic Conference wins and a No. 5 seed in the conference tournament.
The Wolves won a pair of games over 2019 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship participants, took down a conference champion, and defeated Division I Winthrop in a road exhibition game in November.
Center Meg Essex and guard Shelby Britten garnered first- and second-team All-SAC accolades, respectively, and each won a conference player of the week honor. Newberry earned a No. 25 national ranking in January, had a stretch of 11 wins in 12 games, and drew the program's biggest crowd in 14 years for a nationally-ranked matchup with Anderson.
In her ninth season as the head coach at Newberry, Tincher led the Wolves to regular-season sweeps of Mars Hill, Coker and Lincoln Memorial. In addition, the Wolves defeated 16th ranked Wingate at home and took down Lenoir-Rhyne, 67-66, on Senior Day to clinch the sixth seed in the SAC Tournament. Newberry faced third seeded Catawba in the conference quarterfinal.
The women's basketball program has been active in the community this season. Through the team's annual Play4Kay, Newberry raised over $1,500 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The team also partnered with the Ellen 23 Foundation to help raise awareness of and collect donations for individuals struggling with substance abuse.
Tincher is an active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, serving on the Coach to Coach Mentoring Committee. Six of her former players have been selected for the WBCA's "So You Want to be a Coach" program that runs in conjunction with the Women's Final Four. Five of those former players are still in the coaching profession, including one at the Division I level and another serving as an assistant coach for three-time Division II national champion Ashland.
Before becoming Interim Head Coach in August 2018, Tincher spent five seasons with the Newberry program. She served in an assistant coaching role for four of those seasons and was elevated to Assistant Head Coach in September 2017.
During her nine seasons in Scarlet and Gray, Tincher's players have combined for two All-American selections, seven first team all-conference awards, seven second-team honors, two all-freshman team selections, and a SAC Tournament MVP. The 2015 Wolves won the SAC Tournament and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Championships.
Tincher was the head coach at Converse for four seasons and spent the 2015-16 campaign as an assistant coach on staff at Division I Wofford.
Tincher also has experience at the international professional level both as a player and coach. She played with the Italian team Nuoro Lokomotiv from October 2007 to July 2008, contributing to a team that was a national runner-up finish. She also helped coach the organization's U15 and U18 teams, where she ran practices for the two teams.
Tincher started her coaching career at the University of Alabama-Huntsville in 2004. She served as an assistant for the Chargers for three seasons, playing an instrumental role in recruiting, workout development, team clinics and camps and team travel arrangements.
Tincher was a four-year letterwinner at Francis Marion University as a forward/center, where she received the team's Most Valuable Player Award her senior season. During that season, she averaged 10.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.7 steals while leading the team in rebounding. She was also part of Francis Marion's 2001 run to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. She played in 97 of her team's 115 games during her four seasons.
Tincher graduated from Francis Marion in May 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a minor in Spanish. She was also named to the 2001 PBC Presidential Honor Roll and 2002 FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll.
