“Basketball has always been my biggest teacher- I’m stronger and more driven from all the countless lessons, successes, and trials...it helped  me become a  better person and a coach.   But the most important lesson that I’ve learned and that I try to instill in my players, is the people.  After the games are over, the points fade away, and the Wins and Loses are forgotten, it’s the people that were surrounding you and that you developed friendships with, are the ones that you remember and the ones that make the game of basketball special.”

Former UNC Greensboro point guard Amanda Eaton joined the Lady Mocs coaching staff over the summer. She brings with her a wealth of experience as both a player and coach.

Eaton comes to Chattanooga from Mars Hill College where she served as an assistant coach at the Division II institution last season. Several of her guards earned athletic as well as academic honors. Three ranked in the top 15 in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) scoring charts. One of her guards earned a spot on the SAC All-Freshman Team and another was selected to the All-Conference Second Team.

In the academic arena, one Mars Hill guard was named to the ESPN the Magazine All-District III College Divison Third Team.

Her duties at Mars Hill included guards coach, recruiter, academic liaison and scouting and film breakdown. She coordinated the film exchange as well as team travel and many other aspects of the day-to-day operation of the program.

Prior to coaching at Mars Hill, Eaton was an assistant coach for her alma mater, UNC Greensboro. While there, she helped the Spartans to a 20-9 overall finish and several of her players received league honors. Her duties included coaching the guards, recruiting as well as scouting and film breakdown. She was also the coordinator of film exchange and team meals.

Following graduation from UNCG, Eaton was the Head Coach of the JV squad for Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C. She guided her team to the Metro 4-A Conference title with an overall mark of 21-4.

At UNCG, Eaton was a four-year starter and was a three-year team captain. In her freshman year she became the first-ever Spartan player to be named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team. She was a league Player of the Week twice in her career and was named to the 2004-05 preseason All-Conference Team.

In 2002, Eaton led the Spartans to a tie with Chattanooga for the SoCon regular season title and a berth in the post season Women’s National Invitation Tournament. That followed with an invitation to the 2002 preseason WNIT.

While at UNCG, Eaton set the Spartans’ all-time 3-point record with 169 and is currently second on that list and holds the UNCG record for best 3-point field goal percentage in a game going 5-for-5 at Wofford. She again entered the record books with the best mark in a game from the free throw line going 14-for-14 against league foe College of Charleston.

Over her career she shot 81.0 percent from the free throw line ranking her second all time at UNCG. With 229 assists, Eaton is 10th for the Spartans as well as for games played in the Division I era with 113 under her belt. She finished just shy of the 1,000-point mark with 948 from the point position putting her in the top 20 all-time leading scorers.

She is a graduate of Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, W.Va., where she led her team to back-to-back state titles. She was a four-year member of the varsity squad and three-year team captain. She still holds the school record for assists with 493.

While at UNCG, Eaton earned a spot on the Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll. She worked as a camp instructor at UNCG, Davidson and area high schools summer camps. She was a member of SACIA at UNCG and volunteered at local YMCA’s and afterschool programs in both West Virginia and North Carolina. During her senior year at UNCG and while coaching at Northwest Guilford, she spearheaded a fundraiser for the Fight Against Breastcancer that raised over $6,000 in donations.

Eaton’s responsibilities at Chattanooga will include coaching the guards, recruiting new talent and academic liaison and scouting opponents.

In May 2009, Amanda married Thomas Burge in West Virginia.