Knoxville native Alex Varlan, who spent four seasons on the Lady Vols basketball staff, has been hired as an assistant coach for Texas A&M women’s basketball.
Varlan joins coach Joni Taylor’s staff going into her fourth season with the Aggies.
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“We are very happy to have Alex move to Aggieland and be a part of our staff,” Taylor said in a school release. “Alex is an extremely well-rounded coach with great experience in scouting and recruiting. He is someone that can wear a variety of different hats in our program. He is extremely competitive, and I look forward to seeing him grow as a professional at Texas A&M and how he impacts our community and team.”
Varlan’s career started as a student at Tennessee. He worked with the Lady Vols in 2010 and was responsible for video, stats and general team management under legendary coach Pat Summitt.
After graduating in 2013, Varlan interned with the Philadelphia 76ers and worked with its NBA G League affiliate before being joining Oakland men’s basketball from 2014-17.
In 2017, Varlan returned to the Lady Vols, this time as video coordinator from 2017-19 under former coach Holly Warlick. Varlan stayed on staff after Warlick was fired and former coach Kellie Harper was hired, serving as the director of scouting and analytics from 2019-21.
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Varlan left the Lady Vols to be an assistant coach at Northeastern for the 2021-22 season. He has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at FAU
Varlan, who is the son of U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan, said in a school release that he’s “thrilled” to be joining the Texas A&M staff and “grateful” to get to work alongside Taylor and her staff.
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“Returning home to the SEC, where I grew up learning the ins and outs of women’s basketball from my mentor, Coach Pat Summitt, is incredibly special for me,” Varlan said. “I truly believe you win in life with people, and I wouldn’t be here today without the trust, belief and hard work of the incredible student-athletes I have been blessed to coach. Thank you for your dedication and as you know, you’re family for life.”
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Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Lady Vols staffer Alex Varlan hired by Texas A&M women’s basketball
