Tamara Inoue is in her 10th year at the helm of the UC Irvine women’s basketball program in 2025-26.
After taking over a team that had two winning seasons in 15 years, Inoue brought a renewed energy and mindset that paid off immediately. In her first year with her own recruits, the Anteaters had the second best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I. Since then, they have won a Big West tournament and regular season title, produced five 20-win campaigns and made four national postseason tournament appearances.
Last season, Inoue became the all-time winningest head coach in UCI women's basketball history. She eclipsed the school record with her 159th victory on February 27. The Anteaters went on to secure their fourth-straight 20-win campaign (21-10), finished second in the Big West standings (15-5), and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the fifth time in her nine seasons. For the third-straight year, UC Irvine was ranked among the top-15 in the nation in scoring defense as they finished 10th at 54.3 points allowed per game. Déja Lee and Hunter Hernandez claimed two of the six spots on the All-Big West First Team, while Summah Hanson was named the Best Sixth Player.
In 2023-24, Inoue’s squad won the program’s second Big West Championship and first in 29 years. The ‘Eaters earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and closed out the campaign with a 23-9 overall record (16-4 Big West). For the second year in a row, UCI was ranked in the final College Insider Women’s Mid-Major Poll (23rd) and was among the nation’s best in scoring defense (14th, 55.7 ppg). Déja Lee made history as UC Irvine’s first Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba was also named the Big West Newcomer of the Year, while Diaba Konate was tabbed the league’s Best Defensive Player.
Inoue came to Irvine from New Mexico State where she was an integral member of the women's basketball staff from 2011-16. She spent her last two seasons as an associate head coach and also served as the interim Senior Woman Administrator in 2015-16.
During her tenure as an associate head coach, NM State made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, while capturing the Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles both years. The Aggies ended the 2015-16 campaign with a 26-5 overall record, tying the school record for single-season victories.
Inoue joined the New Mexico State staff after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Santa Clara University. Prior to that, she spent six years playing and coaching in Australia. Inoue's professional playing career was cut short due to injury, but following rehabilitation she returned to coach in Australia's Victorian Basketball League (VBL). Inoue earned VBL Coach of the Year honors in 2006-07 with the Nunawading Spectres. She also guided the Knox Raiders to a national championship the following season with a 27-1 record. In addition to her head coaching duties, Inoue helped run the Melbourne Roos club team, assisting in developing several NCAA Division I athletes who went on to play in the U.S.
Inoue has strong ties to the Orange County area and The Big West as she attended Laguna Hills High School and Long Beach State. She played at LBSU from 2000-02, where she was a two-time All-Big West honorable mention selection and led the league in assists as a senior (5.9 apg). In her first year, Inoue helped the Beach advance to the third round of the 2000 Women's National Invitation Tournament. She went on to graduate with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2002.
Inoue prepped at Laguna Hills High School, and was inducted into the Hawks' Hall of Fame in January 2017. She was a USA Today honorable mention All-American as a senior after averaging 14.0 points per game. A two-time league MVP, Inoue set single-game school records for points (30), assists (12) and steals (12).