By: Wilson Wong (Coordinator, Varsity Sport Reporting)
BURNABY, B.C. – An exciting new era has begun for Simon Fraser University women's basketball with the hiring of Shae Dheensaw as the Red Leafs' new head coach.
Originally from Victoria, B.C., Dheensaw brings extensive coaching and player-development experience from across North America to Burnaby Mountain.
"Taking on the head coach role at SFU fills me with immense excitement and pride," said Dheensaw. "Returning to my home province, to a school I grew up idolizing and a campus that has always felt like home truly feels like a 'pinch me' moment. To lead a program shaped by the legacy of Allison McNeill and Bruce Langford is both an honor and a responsibility I deeply value and intend to uphold.
"SFU has a long-standing tradition of excellence, and the experience on Burnaby Mountain is truly one of a kind. There's something special about this place; its history, its people, its spirit, and I'm energized to be a part of it. I'm eager to get to work, build on the strong foundation already in place, and strive for even greater heights together."
For the past two seasons, she served as the head coach of the Brock University Badgers in St. Catharines, Ont., competing in the Ontario University Athletics conference of U SPORTS. The first-time university head coach led the Badgers to a 40-21 overall record (.656 winning percentage) and a 30-14 mark in conference play. And in both seasons, she helped Madalyn Weinert to OUA Player of the Year and U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian honours.
Prior to Brock, Dheensaw coached at Toronto Metropolitan University (2021-24) and the University of Victoria (2018-21).
At TMU, she learned the craft from Bold head coach Carly Clarke, who was recently hired by the WNBA's Toronto Tempo as an assistant coach. Together, they guided TMU of the OUA to an undefeated 2021-22 season and a U SPORTS national championship, the first in school history.
Dheensaw joined her hometown Victoria Vikes (Canada West conference) in the fall of 2018 as an assistant coach and was elevated to interim program leader in April 2020. She led the Vikes team through the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic before moving east.
Her first coaching role came in June 2016, when she became a graduate assistant with the NCAA Division I University of Washington of the Pacific 12 Conference. The Huskies, led by multiple Olympic gold medalist and current WNBA and Unrivaled star Kelsey Plum, made the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Dheensaw coached while completing her Master of Education degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership at the Seattle school.
In her nine seasons as a university head or assistant coach, Dheensaw has not had a losing campaign.
"We are excited to welcome Shae back to British Columbia to lead the next chapter of our women's basketball program," said
Breanne Watson, SFU Director, Athletics & Business Operations. "Her record of success at each level — from national championships to international competition — speaks for itself, and her deep connection to the province makes her an ideal fit to build on the extraordinary legacy Bruce Langford and Allison McNeill established here on Burnaby Mountain."
Outside of university basketball, Dheensaw has been an influential coaching figure at various age levels.
Last summer, she was the head coach of the Canada squad that competed at the FIBA 3x3 Women's World Series tournaments in Vienna, Austria, and Edmonton. In July, Dheensaw will travel to Paraguay as the head coach of Canada's under-21 Women's National 3x3 Team.
Dheensaw was an assistant coach with the World Select Team at the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit for three years in a row (2023-25). Each year, the best U-19 international players come together on the World Select Team to play women's and men's all-star games against a United States Junior Select roster made up of that country's best high schoolers.
In 2022 and 2024, Dheensaw served as a head coach with Kia Nurse Elite, Canada's only Nike Girls EYBL affiliate team. She also worked as the head coach of the Ontario Under-17 provincial squad in 2022.
As a player, she spent four years and played 112 games at NCAA Div. I Washington State Cougars of Pullman, spending the last two seasons as a starter. Dheensaw recorded 98 blocks, currently the 10th-best all-time in the history of the Pac12 school. Her Bachelor of Arts degree from WSU is in Human Development: Early Childhood Education.
She was a star at Victoria's Claremont Secondary School, winning First Team All-Star recognition in her last year after leading the Spartans to the final of the 2011 BC high school provincial championship tournament. In her Grade 11 season, Dheensaw was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the 2010 provincials.
In the summer between those two high school seasons, she played for Canada at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship for Women in France.
Dheensaw succeeds legacy coaches Allison McNeill, who led SFU between 1988 and 2001, and Bruce Langford, who had a 25-season run (2001-26) that completed with his retirement in the spring.