Dheensaw returns home to help UVic hoops

Claremont, NCAA star new women’s assistant coach

Former Claremont Secondary Spartans star Shalie Dheensaw, who played four seasons in the NCAA Pac-12 with the Washington State Cougars, has been named the new lead assistant coach for the University of Victoria Vikes women’s basketball team.

The 24-year-old Dheensaw will join Vikes head coach Dani Sinclair in Sinclair’s sixth season on the UVic bench.

“Dani is the big draw to UVic for women’s basketball. She loves what she does, has a high level of understanding of the game and is someone I can learn from,” said Dheensaw.

Dheensaw played for B.C. through high school and two years with Canada Basketball in the U-16 and U-17 programs. Dheensaw played in 112 career Pac-12 games and started her final 50 and finished her career with 535 points, 307 rebounds and 98 blocked shots, fifth most blocked shots in Washington State history. Dheensaw and her Cougars teams qualified for the WNIT tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015.

Dheensaw followed up her playing career by transitioning to a coaching career and has worked with Pullman High School as a head junior varsity coach and then as graduate assistant coach with the University of Washington Huskies for a season. She was also assistant coach and assistant director of operations and video operations at Washington State for a season.

“I am so excited to work with UVic,” said Dheensaw.

“It is a place where players can get a high-quality education, while being able to play at an elite level … as university-aged adults to grow into their own. It is also close to my heart as my sister [Marissa] is a part of the program.”

The Vikes host UNBC for a pair of preseason games on Sept. 28-29 before opening their Canada West season on the road Oct. 26-27 in Winnipeg against the Wesmen.