One of Canada’s greatest-ever basketball coaches, Kathy Shields has been a great teacher and competitor, and a role model for hundreds of young B.C. women.
Ms. Shields’ record as head coach of the University of Victoria Vikes women’s team is almost unbelievable – 320 wins versus only 50 losses in conference play over 23 years. She coached an unprecedented eight national championship teams, was named coach of the year three times, and won the 3M Coaching Award for Excellence.
In addition to her magnificent success at the University of Victoria, Ms. Shields served as assistant coach and head coach of Canada’s national women’s basketball team.
She is known for much more than her teams’ success on the court, as she has mentored hundreds of young British Columbians over the years. Eight of her former players and assistant coaches went on to be head coaches of university basketball teams, and many more are successful contributors to their communities, in part because of the excellent example of their mentor.
Ms. Shields is possibly the most highly respected coach in the history of Canadian women’s basketball. She has created a legacy through her contributions that will continue long into the future.