Junior scoring guard keeps many balls in the air

In one of the final games of the season, Tara Thompson secured the UAA women's basketball team's 81-60 victory over Montana State University Billings by making all six of her shots from the 3-point line - an impressive achievement not made since 2009.

As it turns out, she didn't realize what she accomplished until well after the game.

"I honestly didn't know I was shooting that well," says Tara. "I was just going with the flow and later that night someone said something to my coach about it. It was pretty awesome, but I was just more excited that we won that game."

Managing a trailblazing basketball career is a challenge. Add a full course load and that challenge becomes daunting, but Tara has a talent for making difficult feats look effortless.

A shooting guard and a junior double-majoring in accounting and management with a 3.65 GPA, Tara's ability to juggle academics and athletics originates from her days as a Dimond High Lynx, where in addition to basketball, she played softball and flag football.

Her love of sports, however, stems even further back.

Growing up, Tara and her older brother, Travis Thompson, would play sports and train together as a way to connect. Travis would later attend UAA and become the number two scorer in men's basketball history.

Because she was four years younger, Tara spent a lot of her time in high school watching Travis play for the Seawolves. Tara initially went to games to support her brother, but would eventually become a fan of the women's basketball team, which informed her decision to attend and play for UAA herself.

"I just loved how they played, and that helped make my decision to attend UAA pretty easy," Tara says.

When she finally enrolled at UAA in 2014, Tara made herself right at home on the Seawolf basketball court. A former walk-on, she quickly rose through the ranks to become a valuable starting player and earned a scholarship.

Just this past season alone, Tara was instrumental in helping the team clinch a second-place victory in the most recent NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament, as well as a first-place finish in the final GCI Great Alaska Shootout.

"Tara has been one of the hardest workers both on and off the court of any student athlete I've been associated with," says UAA coach Ryan McCarthy. "She's set a standard of excellence both in the classroom and on the basketball court."

Tara balances her busy role on the team with being an accounting double-major. For her, the fact that there's only one solution to an accounting problem provides a nice reprieve from the many variables and approaches to consider when on the court.

"I've always enjoyed numbers and problem solving," Tara explains. "I also like how there's really only one answer to things, which is different than basketball because of all the things you have to consider while playing."

Fortunately, one less factor Tara has to consider is whether or not all the traveling she has to do for basketball will interfere with her studies, thanks to the support of her professors.

"All of my professors have been totally understanding about me leaving," she says. "They're always willing to work with me, whether it's taking a test on the road, taking a test early or taking it when I get back."

With her senior year and final season fast approaching, you would think that Tara plans to take things easy between semesters. However, summers are her opportunity to play, train and catch up with her brother, who returns home every summer from playing basketball internationally.

Even the vacations she has scheduled are basketball-centric. This July, Tara and the UAA women's basketball team will take a privately fundraised trip to Taiwan to participate in the annual BLIA Cup. Not only will this be Tara's first-ever visit overseas, but the Seawolves will be the only U.S. women's team competing in the tournament.

Naturally, Tara isn't fazed by the pressure.

"I'm extremely excited! It'll be an amazing experience to see how our team stacks up against international teams."

Written by Matt Jardin, UAA Office of University Advancement