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Former standout UB women’s basketball player and assistant coach Kristen Sharkey has been named the 14th head women’s basketball coach in school history, Mark Alnutt, vice president and director of athletics, announced today.

Sharkey comes to Buffalo after three seasons on the women’s basketball staff at Syracuse University, most recently serving as associate head coach.

“Kristen Sharkey is a prime example of the transformational impact our great university has on its students,” said Alnutt. “As a two-time alum and standout member of our basketball program, I am elated that we had the opportunity to bring Kristen back home. She continued to grow and be highly successful as an assistant coach here and at Syracuse. She is a relentless recruiter, relationship builder, has a great sense of the game of basketball and is an incredible mentor and developer of young women, both on and off the court.

“She has more than earned this opportunity and is overly prepared to become our next head coach,” Alnutt said. “I’m excited for the future of our program and look forward to our community rallying around and supporting Coach Sharkey as we continue to build upon our great tradition of women’s basketball here at UB.” 

“Buffalo, I’m back!” Sharkey said. “I would like to thank Mark Alnutt, President Tripathi, D’Ann Keller and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to return home to the University at Buffalo, where the academics are world class and the culture of this athletic department is unmatched.

“I’m returning to lead this great program enriched with success to higher heights. I stepped onto this campus 15 years ago not knowing the impact this special place would have on my life. Now, it is my turn to help these young women achieve their dreams and reach their highest potential both on the court and in the classroom,” Sharkey said.

“We will win basketball games but more importantly, we will grow these young women into the best versions of themselves for their futures.”

In her time at Syracuse, Sharkey helped guide the Orange to back-to-back postseason appearances, reaching the Super 16 of the WNIT in 2023 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024.

The 2023-24 team was tabbed to finish ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and proceeded to finish 24-8 overall with a 13-5 ACC record, tied for second in the league standings. Syracuse peaked as high as No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and earned a first-round win over Arizona in the NCAA Tournament before falling to UConn in the second round.

Sharkey was instrumental in the recruitment and development of Dyaisha Fair, who became the sixth player in program history drafted to the WNBA when she was selected 16th overall by the Las Vegas Aces and graduated as the third all-time leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,403 career points.

Across seven seasons at UB, Sharkey helped build the Bulls into a perennial contender in the Mid-American Conference. UB made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018.

In her first year on the sidelines, the Bulls won the MAC Tournament and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament — both program firsts. She mentored All-MAC First Team selection JoAnna Smith and MAC Tournament MVP Stephanie Reid.

After a 29-win season, the 2017-18 UB squad became the first team in school history, and only the second in MAC history, to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with upset wins over South Florida and Florida State, and finished the season ranked No. 21 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll.

In Sharkey’s final season in Buffalo, the Bulls posted a 25-9 record and won the MAC Tournament, securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. Fair was an AP Honorable Mention All-American, All-MAC First Team selection and MAC Tournament MVP, and Georgia Woolley was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.

Sharkey helped develop nine All-MAC players during her time as an assistant coach, including 2019 WNBA draft pick Cierra Dillard, who was selected 22nd overall by the Minnesota Lynx. Summer Hemphill earned All-MAC Freshman Team honors in 2017 and was an All-MAC Second Team selection in 2019 and 2022 while being named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List and the Preseason Cheryl Miller Award Watch List during her UB career.

As a player under Felisha Legette-Jack, Sharkey started 85 straight games to end her UB career, leading the Bulls to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in over 15 years.

A two-time All-MAC selection, Sharkey averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. She ranks 13th on UB’s all-time scoring list with 1,264 career points and also ranks in the top 15 in career games played (120), rebounds (758), free throw percentage (.772), free throws made (305) and blocked shots (98).

A native of Manahawkin, N.J,, Sharkey graduated from UB with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned her MBA from the university in 2021. She is the first former UB women’s basketball player to be named head coach of the program.

An introductory press conference will be held next week in Alumni Arena.