Saskatoon – The University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's basketball program and head coach Lisa Thomaidis are pleased to announce that Claire Meadows will be joining the team for the 2018-19 season in the role of assistant coach.
"Our entire team is thrilled to have someone with the credentials and experience that Claire has joining our program," said Thomaidis, who is entering her 20th season in charge of the program.
Meadows joins the Huskies by way of Basketball Canada where she is currently preparing the U-18 Canadian women's team for the FIBA Americas Championship, slated to take place Aug. 1-7 in Mexico City.
"As our current U-18 National Team Head Coach, Claire will bring another level of international coaching experience to our program," said Thomaidis, head coach of the Canadian Senior women's team.
Alongside her head coach experience at the international level, Meadows also brings Canada West expertise to the program from her time with the University of British Columbia Heat, where she was the head coach of the Kelowna, B.C. squad for three seasons from 2015-2018.
"I'm extremely grateful to have this opportunity to coach in the Huskies program," said Meadows. "I am looking forward to working in a culture that strives for excellence, as well as working with a dedicated group of student-athletes."
Prior to joining the Heat, Meadows has spent time as an assistant coach at both the University of Lethbridge and the University of Alberta, while also being the head coach of the Basketball Alberta Center for Performance in the past.
"Having the opportunity to coach with Lisa Thomaidis will allow me to continue to grow and develop as a coach and I couldn't be more excited to start this journey," said Meadows.
Beginning her time in university basketball as a student-athlete, Meadows played five seasons at Queen's University, earning first and second team OUA East All-Star honours while also finishing her career as Queen's second all-time leading scorer.
Joining a staff that includes Thomaidis, Ali Fairborther and Jacqueline Lavallee, Meadows enters into a program that has won 84 of 100 Canada West regular season games over the past five years, finishing first or second in the conference each season and qualifying for five national championship tournaments during that span.
"I'm really looking forward to working with Claire to continue to provide the best possible experience and support for our Huskie women's basketball players," said Thomaidis.